


Fixer Upper

by TakingOverMidnight3482



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith, Multi, SPOILERS AHEAD, Some langst, You Have Been Warned, all seasons are now in this fic, friendship fluff mainly, like i don't have enough already, most of them cross posted to tumblr, one shot series, the reactions we didn't get but all wanted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2018-09-19 11:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 29,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9439013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakingOverMidnight3482/pseuds/TakingOverMidnight3482
Summary: A series of fix-it fics for Voltron (adding seasons as I go, expect something from every season from here on out). Because there were far too many things left unsaid or unshown, and I'm unsatisfied. Mostly fluff, some angst, a whole hell of a lot of friendship, and some chapters might have shipping (mainly klance, shallura, and hunay).Currently up:Keith’s breaths came faster now and he stood, pacing the room and rubbing his hands up and down his pants. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Cool. Red lion. Fire. Fire. Red...”Firm hands grasped his bicep and Keith lashed out, shoving at them until he realized it was Coran standing there, his face firm but his eyes worried. Pitying.Keith hated pity. (Season One)





	1. Lance

“So. Galra, huh?”

Keith jumped, turning away from the window to find Lance behind him with his hands in his pockets and a warm smile on his face. Keith frowned and looked away, eyes perusing the cluster of stars they were passing. “Yeah. Galra.”

Lance moved to stand next to him, shoulders brushing, body warm and firm. “That’s cool, man.”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, not sure he had heard right. “What?”

He looked over at the blue paladin, who shrugged, giving Keith a side glance that made him catch his breath in his throat. “It’s cool. Like…dude, you’re part _alien!_ Not everyone can say that about themselves. Imagine the interesting fun fact you can throw out at meetings now instead of, ‘Hi, I’m Keith, and I live alone in a desert shack.’”

Keith snorted at that and ducked his head, rubbing a hand up and down his arm. “Yeah, well…Allura doesn’t seem too happy about it.”

Lance said nothing for a moment, lowering his own head and pulling his hands from his pockets to cross his arms. “Yeah, well…she can deal with it.”

There was venom in Lance’s voice, something Keith had never heard there, and he whipped around to find Lance with a scowl on his face. “What?”

Lance looked up at him, eyes softening as he took in Keith’s startled gaze, and he relaxed his posture. “Just…I don’t see…how she can see anyone but you. You’re you, Keith, not just a Galra, and you’ve saved our lives, _my life_ , more times than I can count. It’s just…”

He glanced down at his hand and clenched it into a fist, frowning. “I hate when people discriminate against other people for something they can’t control.”

Keith had a feeling that he was talking about himself as much as he was Keith, and something in him shattered at the broken look on Lance’s face. He moved before he could stop himself, wrapping Lance into a tight hug and burying his nose into his shoulder. Lance stiffened briefly, surprised, before curling his arms around Keith’s back and squeezing him tightly. “Thank you,” Keith mumbled, eyes prickling with tears. 

Lance nodded against him, not saying a word.


	2. Pidge

“Do you have ears?”

Keith glanced over at Pidge in utter bewilderment, fingers pausing over the keyboard he was typing on. “What?”

Pidge flushed and ducked her head, toeing the ground. “Um…ears. Like…Galra ears…”

She trailed off at his look and her face fell, hands flying up to rest in front of her chest. “Wait, quiznak, I’m sorry, Keith, that’s…that’s personal. I…”

Pidge wrinkled her nose and turned. “I’m sorry, I’ll-”

“I don’t know,” he answered with a shrug. 

She looked at him over her shoulder, eyes wide, and he gave her a reassuring smile, sinking down into his seat and clasping his hands together. “It’s…I don’t know anything about my past,” he said softly, watching as she scurried over and sat at his feet, eyes wide and calculating behind her glasses. “But…you can ask. If you want. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, is all.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow, looking confused. “Why would you make _me_ uncomfortable? I should have thought before asking that, it was insensitive.”

Keith stared at her for a moment, at her genuine curiosity, and he relaxed a little. “You’re not…uncomfortable?”

Pidge wrinkled her nose. “Is this about Allura?” she asked, aware she was treading on touchy waters. “Because I’m not her, Keith. Frankly this is really cool to me, and I’m just interested to know if you have any of their characteristics. Like, would you grow fur? Or _claws?_ Could you fight without a sword? _Do you have the ears?_ ”

Keith burst into laughter, grin wide, and Pidge started giggling right after him. “Sorry,” she managed to laugh. “I think they’d be kind of adorable.”

He shot her a glare and she dissolved into even more laughter, face flushed. “Sorry.”

Keith shook his head. “Don’t apologize,” he said sincerely. “It’s…weird, right now. I don’t _feel_ any different, just more…understanding, I guess.”

Pidge calmed down and nodded thoughtfully, studying him with an intelligent gaze that was far beyond her years. “What are you going to do?”

“Defeat Zarkon,” Keith answered instantly, as if it was a no brainer. “And then…maybe join you, help you find Matt and your dad, search for my own family while we do it.”

Pidge gave him a warm smile. “I’d be glad to have your help.”

He grinned and leaned forwards on his knees, casting his eyes to the ground. “If you…I mean, if you have questions…I won’t mind answering them, if I know the answers.”

Pidge reached up and settled a hand on his forearm, gaze serious. “And if you need help with this, with anything, I’m here for you.” She glanced over her shoulder, at the rest of the consoles in the room, and then back at him. “All four of us are, you know that…right?”

Her face was anxious, and Keith reassured her by settling his hand over hers. “I do. Thank you, Pidge.”


	3. Coran

When Keith stepped into the kitchen at nearly three in the morning, Coran was the last person he expected to find sitting in a dining chair, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together. He paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue. While Allura had reacted loudly and angrily to his confession of being Galra earlier that day, Coran had said nothing, his face a mask, and Keith didn’t know what was going through his head. 

Before he could make an escape, Coran glanced up and locked eyes with him, eyebrows shooting up. “Keith. It’s late, what’re you doing awake?”

Keith hesitated, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I…couldn’t sleep. Sorry, you looked like you were…I’ll leave you alone.”

He twisted to go, appetite gone, but Coran’s voice pulled him back. “Keith, hold on a tic.”

Keith glanced back to see Coran pushing himself up from his seat, back and knees cracking a little, and he couldn’t help but smile a little. It dropped when Coran looked at him again, deadly serious, and Keith swallowed. “What is it?”

Coran shook his head and walked past him, gesturing for him to follow. “Not here.”

Though confused, Keith followed obediently, wondering in the back of his mind if Coran was going to kick his ass. Despite the man’s age, he was terrifying when he got protective or angry, and Keith being part Galra? Well, that was a good a reason as any to be overprotective of the princess. At the very least, Keith expected a firm talking-to about staying away from Allura for a while. 

What he did not expect, when they reached the observation deck and were surrounded only by space, was for Coran to pull him into a hug. It was hesitant, slow, like he expected Keith to flip him, but it was sincere and warm and honestly made Keith choke up in surprise. 

“I’m sorry,” Coran murmured.

Keith swallowed around the lump in his throat, eyes stinging, and lifted shaking hands to clutch at Coran’s back. “What for?”

The man rubbed soothing, fatherly circles over Keith’s back while he answered. “I was silent while Allura yelled at you. I should have defended you.”

Keith hiccupped in pure surprise, burying his nose into Coran’s uniform and shaking his head. “It’s okay,” he whispered. 

Coran pulled back, holding Keith tenderly by the shoulders, and gazed at him with a quiet spark of sadness. “No, it isn’t. She may be my superior, but no one deserves to be treated harshly for who they are. I am glad the other paladins stood up for you, but I certainly could have done more.”

He squeezed Keith’s shoulders reassuringly, a smile flickering under his mustache. “Know that not all Altean’s think of you as anything other than you. And Allura will come to her senses.”

Keith broke then, tears spilling over as he pressed back into Coran’s hug, shoulders trembling. Coran was the closest thing he’d had to a father in a long time, an uncle, really, with his terrible jokes and his quiet support of everyone. Hearing that he didn’t see Keith differently just because he was Galra lifted about a thousand pounds from his chest. “Thank you,” he mumbled. 

Coran nodded, staring over Keith’s shoulders at the constellations outside the window. “Of course, son.”


	4. You're More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge/Lance friendship. Set after episode 10

“Hey Lance?”

Lance barely looked up from underneath Blue’s foot, where he was busy greasing some of her canons that had gotten dull during their fighting. “What’s up, Pidgeotto?”

Pidge rolled her eyes at the name but didn’t protest it, shifting from foot to foot and glancing off to the side, fingers nervously twisting around each other. “Um…I wanted…I wanted to apologize.”

A “thunk!” rang from underneath Blue as Lance sat straight up without thinking. He cursed in Altean, something the whole group was picking up quickly, and rolled out from under Blue, rubbing his forehead. “What?”

Pidge gave a weak smile at his befuddlement and ducked her head, clasping her hands together. “I wanted to apologize.”

“Yeah, no, I heard you,” Lance said, standing up and leaving his oil behind to stand in front of Pidge, gazing down at her in concern and slight suspicion. “Why though?”

She swallowed, taking a quiet step back, and Lance blinked in surprise. He was taller than her, very much so, had gotten used to it. She was his armrest sometimes, and she was at the perfect height to elbow him in the gut, but he had never once seen her back away from him like she was _scared_. 

“Pidge?” he tried tentatively. “Everything okay?”

“All the times I tease you,” she blurted out. “And…call you stupid, for not knowing something…you know I don’t mean it right? I think you’re really smart, you are really smart, you got into the Garrison after all, but I don’t…I mean…”

“Hey, hey, whoa, Pidge,” Lance breathed, kneeling so that he was closer to her height and settling a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, of course I know. We’ve been friends for a while, and I tease you just as much. What’s this all about, anyway?”

Pidge gulped and looked away again, unwilling to meet his gaze. “When we went to rescue Slav…you…your comm system was on while you were talking to yourself. And I…I promise, we need you Lance. And I heard Shiro later, but you’re way more than just a sharpshooter, okay?”

When she looked up again she winced at the distraught look on his face, the pain in his eyes, and then he was hugging her, tightly, and she was clinging to his back like she had never hugged him before. “You’re like…like a brother to me, okay?” she whispered. “And…I’ll deny this later…but you’re really funny and smart and you can pilot really, really well, and-”

“Pidge?”

She stopped, fingers curling in his jacket. “Yeah?”

Lance rubbed her back and shut his eyes, taking a shuddering breath that she could feel perfectly. “Thank you. I mean it. And I promise, the teasing doesn’t bug me. Not from you, anyway.”

She nodded and pressed her nose to his collar. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged her like this, full and encompassing and never wavering. The smell of gasoline stung her nose and Lance’s cologne wafted from the nape of his neck, and she relaxed in his grip, eyes fluttering shut at the smell of something so comforting, something so much like home. 

“Can I…stay like this a little longer?” she managed, her voice breaking like she absolutely did not want it to. “I haven’t…”

 _Haven’t been hugged in so long._

She didn’t say it, but Lance seemed to understand, nodding against her and settling back on his knees to relieve some of the tension in their bodies. “Love you, Pidge.”

Pidge swallowed and smiled shakily, holding onto him like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow. And with them, they never knew if there was. “Love you too, Lance.”


	5. Elevator Shaft

They stopped halfway up the elevator shaft, chests heaving and backs slicked with sweat, and Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s elbows ever so slightly. “Look…we’re never going to get out of here if we keep fighting.”

Lance slumped against him, breath ragged, and nodded. “I know.”

“Do you have a problem with me?”

It was out before Keith could stop it, his internal struggle with all things Galra vanishing in place of confusion. He back tracked quickly, shaking his head. “Never mind, sorry, we should just-”

“Yes.”

Lance’s admission almost made him turn around. The thirty foot drop under them made him stay put, though, and instead he turned his head, trying to see Lance from the corner of his eye instead. His legs trembled at the effort he was using to stay upright. “What?”

The blue paladin sighed and Keith saw his left-hand clench a little, fingers flexing. “Yeah. I’m…I’m jealous, okay?”

That was not what Keith had expected him to say. “Seriously?”

He could almost see Lance’s scowl set in. “Yes, seriously, Keith. Can we drop it now and get out of here?”

“No.”

Keith pursed his lips and ducked his head, feet sliding just a little on the wall and making his heart stop as they sank an inch. “Why?”

“What?”

“Why are you jealous?”

There was a long silence, one where Keith was struggling not to let go, not to give in to the fatigue of his arms and legs and just drop like a stone. When Lance spoke again, he jolted, startled. 

“You…were always better than me. At _everything_.”

Keith frowned. “That’s not true. You got into the Garrison, got to be a pilot, you-”

“The only reason I got to be a fighter pilot was because you got kicked out, Keith. I wasn’t good enough on my own.”

“Oh.”

They fell silent again, arms tight against each other. “If it’s any consolation,” Keith murmured after a moment, “I’m…jealous of you too.”

“You’re _what?”_

Lance’s disbelief made Keith smile thinly and he pushed back against him a little, tilting his head back against Lance’s. “You’re so open and outgoing. I have…a hard time around people.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Keith frowned and pulled away again. Lance backtracked rapidly, arms tugging him back. “No, no, I mean! I’ve…noticed you have a hard time with talking to people. Nothing wrong with that.”

They fell quiet again, breathing slowing, and Keith shook his head. “You’re a good pilot, Lance. And a really good shot with your bayard. Me dropping out…just let you figure that out.”

“If you…ever need help with people, or if you need to be alone or something, you can let me know. Sometimes people can be overwhelming, even for me.”

“Why do we fight so much?” Keith asked, more to himself than Lance. “I mean…we work well together.”

“Yeah. We do.”

It felt like there was deeper meaning to Lance’s words, and for some inexplicable reason Keith suddenly felt compelled to tell Lance all of the confusion he had been going through since discovering his blade was Galran. Lance was trustworthy, he had seen that, and he had a feeling that he kept a lot of secrets from the team about numerous things. 

“Keith?”

He took a shaky breath and glanced up at the vent. Now or never. “Lance, can I ask you-?”

They slid abruptly, feet slick from the heat of the shaft, and both of them screamed, locking their elbows hard around each other and shoving against each other’s backs to stop their descent. Shaking from exertion, Keith lifted his head. “We need to get out of here.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

Keith took a deep breath. “We can do this, Lance. We…we’re a team.”

“Little sappy there, don’t you think Keith?”

He could hear the smile in Lance’s words and he grinned too, bracing his body against Lance’s firmly and lifting his right foot. “Just a little. Ready?”

Lance lifted his left foot to correspond with Keith’s and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Working together, they managed to reach the vent in mere moments, Keith straddling the cover with his feet. “Lance, I’m going to need to kick.”

Lance nodded, hair brushing Keith’s shoulders, and braced himself in a wide stance, arms firm and no longer shaking. “Go.”

Keith pushed back against Lance, trusting him to carry his weight, and lifted a foot, kicking in. His sole flared in pain for a brief second at the contact with solid metal, but luckily, after thousands of years, it was corroded enough to fall inwards. Keith instantly put his foot back down and found the new dilemma. “How are we getting in without one of us falling?”

Lance fell silent. “I don’t know.”

Keith swallowed, eyes roving the edge of the metal, and then nodded. “Okay. On the count of three, I’m going to push back on you, take both feet of the wall, and then I need you to jump off the wall and into the vent.”

“Wait, _what?”_ Lance protested. “Keith, if we fall-!”

“Do you trust me, Lance?”

He answered immediately, sounding indignant. “With my life, stupid.”

“I won’t let you fall.”

Lance took a shaky breath and then nodded, arms flexing against Keith’s. “Okay. Okay, count.”

“One…two…three!”

He shoved backwards and Lance bent accordingly. The brief second he squatted gave Keith enough time to align his feet with the vent and then they were shoved forwards. “Watch your head!”

Lance flattened his head against Keith’s shoulder, Keith doing the same on Lance’s, and they flew through the vent with a few scratches and bruises but otherwise were perfectly fine. They laid there a moment, heads on each other’s shoulders and panting with fear and exhaustion, before Keith twisted his head to look at Lance with a grin. “Nice job.”

Lance glanced back, nose bumping Keith’s, and smiled. “You too. Now how do we get out of this part?”

Keith didn’t quite want to leave their position but he sat up obediently, hunching a little to keep from smacking his head, and crawled down the vent. “Over here! This slides down! It’ll probably carry us out!”

“Probably?” Lance said incredulously, crawling up behind Keith and glancing over his shoulder. 

Keith shot him a smirk. “Scared, Blue?”

A smile slipped across Lance’s cheeks. “Not a chance, Red.”


	6. Snow Globe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because the Earth store scene didn't feel genuine given Lance's homesickness in season one. Pidge and Lance bonding.

He hadn’t meant to, not really. But he couldn’t help himself, couldn’t stop his fingers from swiping the trinket into his pocket while Pidge had been counting out the money for their new game console that they couldn’t even use. 

Lance sat on the edge of his bed, fingers tracing silently over the snow globe in his hands, no bigger than an apple and easy to fit in his jacket pocket. He felt guilty, of course he did. Lance had never stolen something in his life. 

But the water shifted inside the plastic bubble, swirling over the sign that indicated the location the snow globe was from, and Lance choked, tears blurring his vision. 

Veradero Beach. 

What were the odds, really, that he would come across the _one place_ in the galaxy that had a snow globe of his home, of his ocean, of his Earth? 

He had planned on bargaining with the owner for it, would have given up every item in his possession if it meant he could have it, but then Pidge had appeared and he had seen that look in her eyes, the same one he had when he had spotted the globe. She had wanted that game more than anything, and Lance knew it was more than her just being a tech junky. There was a significance to her look, like there was to his.

So he had slipped it in while they weren’t watching, the weight of it burning against his hip the whole ride back to the castle and the shame of it eating him from the inside out. 

He shook it again, throat clogged and chest tight, and watched silently as the fake snow swirled within it, glitter sparkling all over the fake beach and the fake water and the fake buildings.

_Fake._

Lance shuddered and chucked the globe away from him into the corner, where it landed with a soft thump on a pile of dirty laundry. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around his legs, breath coming in short, heaving gasps that physically burned. 

At some point in his melt down, his door whooshed open, Pidge standing there with a game controller in her hands and a smile that faded the moment she took in his state. She followed his gaze, eyes landing on the stolen snow globe, and something like understanding crossed her features. 

She was there, then, next to him, the controller abandoned on his night stand and her head against his shoulder, one arm tucked through his and her thumb tracing circles against his skin. Lance breathed, struggled to calm down, and leaned back against her, unraveling one arm to trap Pidge against his side. 

She was real, he remembered. She was real, she was Earth, she was _home_. All of them were. All of his energy left him and he sagged harder against Pidge, twisting to hug her properly and whisper gratitude into her hair. 

A snow globe was not home, no matter how much it looked like it.

This was.


	7. Shiro

Shiro had been quiet. Too quiet, for Keith. He hadn’t said a word to him after his blade had awakened, and now the two of them had been left alone in some room while the Galra went to pack up a few of their war plans and items they would need for the fighting. 

The awkwardness was almost tangible, and Keith _hated_ it, hated that Shiro wouldn’t look at him, that he wouldn’t say anything, and finally he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Shiro?”

The man glanced up at him, eyes waging a war within themselves, and Keith winced, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. “I…I didn’t know.”

“I know.”

The words were calm, reassuring, and Keith mustered up the courage to meet Shiro’s gaze again. “I…understand if…I mean if you…”

Shiro’s eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head. “If I what? Hate you?”

Keith winced at the phrase coming from someone he considered family, but managed a nod. “Y-Yeah.”

Shiro cursed under his breath, something he never did, and moved to stand directly in front of Keith, hands firm on his shoulders and gaze searching him. “Keith, I could _never_ hate you. You’re like…a brother to me.”

He said it with a sad smile, and Keith realized that Shiro had seen everything he had gone through, heard everything he said during his trials. He swallowed the sob in his throat and wrapped his arms firmly around the taller paladin, struggling to hide just how much he was shaking. 

Shiro hummed in the back of his throat and returned the hug, threading his human hand through Keith’s hair and rubbing his back soothingly. “It’ll be okay, Keith. You know you have to tell them though, right?”

Keith flinched and pulled back, running a hand anxiously up and down his arm. He was glad to have gotten out of the Galra outfit and back into his usual uniform, but he felt like he had been soiled somehow. “I…do I have to?”

“Keith.” Shiro’s voice was sad but understanding. “We won’t be able to form Voltron as easily if you’re keeping something this big from them. Besides, they won’t judge you.”

“Coran and Allura might,” he whispered. 

Shiro reached out and squeezed Keith’s shoulder. “They aren’t the ones who matter when it comes to Voltron. You know as well as I do that Hunk, Pidge, _and_ Lance will accept you.”

Keith had doubts about that last one but he nodded, giving Shiro a shaky smile. “I…why _aren’t_ you mad at me?” he asked. “The Galra…tortured you…they took…”

His eyes flickered to the robot arm and Shiro followed his gaze, eyes thoughtful. “Because that wasn’t you. Because I’ve known you for years. Because you just discovered this now, and I have…”

He swallowed, shutting his eyes and clenching the robot hand. “I have never seen you so scared, Keith. And I realized that it’s you. It’s always been you, and being part Galra doesn’t change that.”

Keith had to force the lump down again, eyes stinging, and he nodded. “Thanks, Shiro.”

The Galra returned then, each carrying a pack on their backs, and Shiro glanced behind Keith to Red, who was waiting for them patiently. “You ready for this?”

Keith stared up at his lion, then out into the void where he knew the castle was. “No. Let’s go.”


	8. I Knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, an alternate way for Lance to talk to Keith. Klance because I'm in love with those two being in love.

“I knew.”

Keith glanced up from the table, spoon pausing on the way to his mouth as he looked over at Lance, who was busy scanning the labels on the food boxes as if he could actually read them. When the blue paladin had walked in on Keith’s midnight snack, Keith hadn’t known what to expect. Lance hadn’t spoken two words to him since he had confessed to everyone earlier, and Keith was a little wary. “Knew what?”

Lance frowned, shoulders slumping, and he looked over at Keith nervously. “That…that you were Galra.”

That was the _wrong_ moment to put his Altean cereal into his mouth. The corn flake like items spewed across the table and Keith choked, dropping the spoon into the bowl and thumping a fist against his chest as he tried to breathe again. Lance’s rushed apologies were all but tuned out while every logical thought in his head compiled together, trying to figure out how the hell _Lance_ had figured it out. 

When he had finally regained control of his air, he sat back, taking a shuddering breath and almost choking all over again. “What are you _talking_ about?” he rasped. 

Lance handed him a glass of water (when had he gotten that?) and Keith took it gratefully, taking small sips while he waited for Lance to respond. 

“I didn’t, at first,” Lance said with a shrug, sitting down in the chair next to Keith and avoiding his gaze. “It…occurred to me after we stopped the ships from launching on the Balmera. I couldn’t figure out how you made the tech work, because…nothing that I touched had worked when I tried.”

He glanced sideways at Keith, finding the red paladin watching him silently, and continued, spreading his hands over the table. “I figured okay, Keith is just better at tech than me. No surprise, everyone is. I kind of forgot about it, but then you were fighting Zarkon and your comms were on and he said that you fought like a Galra.”

Keith winced; he hadn’t realized his comm link had still been on during that encounter. 

Lance kept going, fingers tapping against the table top anxiously and his speaking going more quickly, like he was afraid Keith would stop him. “And I thought, yeah, of _course_ Keith fights like a Galra, he’s just as stubborn as one. And then you started acting all suspicious after you guys got back from visiting the first Galra base and so I asked Hunk what had happened and he said…”

He glanced down at the knife, once again with the handle wrapped, that was strapped to Keith’s belt, and Keith had the sudden urge to hide it from Lance’s sight. “He said you asked about the blade the Galra was carrying. I thought it was just curiosity, but everything kind of jumbled together…so I guess it’s not so much I _knew_ as I _suspected_ , but either way…”

Lance took a breath, clenching his fingers around each other and ducking his head. “I’m sorry.”

 _That_ wasn’t what Keith had expected. He pushed his bowl away and twisted in his chair to look at Lance, tucking his left leg under his right and tilting his head. “What…why?”

Lance swallowed and tightened his fingers. “I…I thought about asking. While we were in the elevator the other day, I mean. I was curious, and we had a lot of free time,” he joked feebly, laugh hesitant, “and I wanted…I wanted to ask. If you were Galra. But I didn’t.”

Keith leaned an elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his hand. “Your point?”

Lance continued like he hadn’t heard him. “I didn’t, because I guess I was scared you would get mad at me for asking, whether you were or weren’t. I wanted to offer to…I don’t know, help or something, but I was too nervous. And then earlier when Allura…”

He took a shaky breath and Keith was startled to realize that Lance was actually in tears. “Lance-”

“She was so _nasty._ And all I could think was that if I had told you, if I had asked, if I had helped you figure it out sooner, then maybe you wouldn’t have gone to the ship with the knife and maybe you wouldn’t have had to tell anyone and maybe she wouldn’t hate you right now so I’m _sorry_ , Keith.”

His voice broke and he pressed his hands to his mouth and all Keith could do was stare in astonishment. For a moment they sat, silence broken only by Lance’s muffled sniffling. Keith worked up the courage to reach out, to settle a hand on Lance’s knee. “Lance. Look at me?”

Lance glanced up, eyes watery, and Keith swallowed. “I would have taken the knife anyway,” he admitted softly. “Whether I knew or not, because I still don’t know anything about myself.”

He took a deep breath and moved his fingers from Lance’s knee to pull one of Lance’s hands into his, squeezing it. “I’m not mad at you,” he murmured. “I’m surprised you managed to figure it out, honestly. No one did.”

“No one else saw you work Galra censored tech,” Lance pointed out softly, intertwining his fingers with Keith’s. His cheeks pinked a little but when Keith didn’t let go, he relaxed. “I still wish I would have helped back there.”

Keith shook his head, glancing towards the door. “Allura…might hate me,” he said reluctantly. “But I’m…like Pidge said, I’m still a paladin. Not much she can do to get rid of me.”

It was a tentative joke, one that would have fallen flat if Lance hadn’t cracked a smile, and the blue paladin swiped at his eyes with his free hand. “Good,” he managed. “I’d miss you.”

They went rigid in their seats, staring at one another, and then Lance shook his head, a smile gracing his face that brightened the whole room. “To hell with it.”

He leaned forwards and Keith’s heart missed a beat as Lance pressed a soft kiss to first his forehead, then his nose, making his cheeks erupt in flames, and then hovered over his mouth, clearly nervous. His eyes flickered up to Keith’s and the red paladin gave him a slight nod. Lance captured Keith’s lips then, softly, nothing harsh like Keith might have expected, but delicate and gentle, almost like he was scared. 

He _was_ scared, Keith realized, lifting his free hand to slide over Lance’s jaw and closing his eyes. He was scared Keith would walk away from this. 

Keith broke away reluctantly, fingers still cupping the back of Lance’s head, and he rested his forehead on Lance’s for a moment. “I’m scared too,” he finally said. 

Lance jumped and searched Keith’s gaze. “What of?”

This wasn’t how Keith had pictured his night going. Wasn’t how he anticipated his first kiss, or his coming out in multiple ways. “Hurting you.”

Lance stared at him for a beat before reaching out and grabbing Keith by the elbows, pulling him to a standing position and settling one of the red paladin’s hands over his chest, the other one on the side of his neck. His heart thrummed under Keith’s fingers and he whipped his head up to look Lance in the eyes. “What-?”

“I trust you,” Lance promised, delving to the thought that Keith hadn’t had the courage to say all night, to anyone. “ _We_ trust you. We love you. And I’m still sorry.”

Keith shook his head quickly and used his hand positioning to tug Lance into another kiss, albeit a shorter one. “No need to be,” he said. “Why…why now, though?”

Lance seemed to understand that Keith wasn’t talking about him being Galra anymore. “When Allura told us Red was attacking the base without you piloting her,” he whispered, breath warm on Keith’s lips, “I…I realized how scared I was that I had lost you. And I didn’t…I didn’t want the last thing we did to be fighting.”

“So you decided to confess to knowing about me being Galra,” Keith realized, putting the pieces together. “And then…”

“Confess to having the biggest, dumbest crush on you.”

Keith flushed and pulled Lance into a hug, arms twining around his lanky shoulders and cheek pressed to his jacket. “Good. Me too.”

Lance laughed, returning the hug, and then pulled back, glancing over at Keith’s spilled Altean cereal. “What do you say we wake up Hunk and Pidge and have a midnight picnic together on the observation deck?”

Keith gnawed on his lip nervously. “Would they be okay with that?”

“Waking up?” Lance asked, purposefully avoiding what he knew Keith meant. “Pidge might kill us, but it’d be worth it for Hunk’s cooking.”

Keith gave a slow grin and nodded. Without warning, he turned on his heel and sprinted. “Last one to the bedroom hallway has to wake up Pidge!”

“KEITH! GET YOUR GALRA ASS BACK HERE!”


	9. Belly of the Weblum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick fix it for who was under the mask. Also minor Hunk and Keith fluff.

“Who are you?” Keith demanded, voice broken up by pants from fighting off the bacteria. Hunk was off to the side, glancing around the intestines of the beast- Keith couldn’t for the life of him remember what the damn thing was called. “You helped us, we deserve to know.”

The Galra leveled him with a gaze, body stiffening. Hunk peered over at the duo, eyebrows raising in a question at Keith, but Keith gave him a wave. He was fine for now. They did have a mission, but Hunk knew what he was doing far better than Keith did. “Come on. Clearly you’re not working for either side. You’re…what, a freelancer?”

The Galra shrugged, hand curling around their weapon tentatively. Keith sighed. “Fine. Don’t tell me then. I just wanted to thank you properly.”

He twisted towards Hunk, ready to ask if he needed help, when a hand latched around his wrist. He flinched and Hunk straightened, fingers flexing over his bayard protectively. The Galra looked up over Keith’s shoulder at him, and the red paladin swallowed. “I’m fine, Hunk.”

Hunk didn’t turn back to his work, merely took his hand off his bayard and watched silently. Keith’s wrist was released and the Galra lifted their hand to their helmet, clicking something on the side that Keith assumed took away the darkened visor.

The first thing that was obvious was that they were female. Or at least, female by Earth standards. Her facial features, though clearly Galra, were smoother, softer, eyes wider and lashes darker. Her chin was more pointed than usual. She looked like she’d be older than Allura, biologically speaking, but younger than Coran. Her eyes were a paler yellow than Keith was used to seeing on Galra soldiers, and they focused on him immediately. 

Something about the way she slumped made Keith wary, and he hovered a hand over his bayard. “What’s your name?”

She shook her head, fingers lifting to indicate a slashing motion over her throat. She couldn’t speak. Convenient. Keith sighed. “Did the other Galra do that to you?”

She nodded this time, and Keith glanced over at Hunk with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged, then pointed to his wrist computer. “I think I know how to do this.”

~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later found Keith and the Galra collecting the scaultrite that the Weblum (ha! He had remembered!) had produced, per Hunk’s prodding. When he heard the click, he wasn’t even surprised to turn and find her holding the gun at his head. 

But she looked _guilty_ was the thing, and Keith had to pause before he could answer. “So. You’re just like the rest of them.”

Her eyes dimmed and she glanced away, biting her lip and slinging a bag of scaultrite over her shoulder. She lowered the gun and set it on her hip, sliding her hand into her pocket. She pulled something out, something small, and glanced back up at Keith. The paladin jolted in surprise; her eyes were completely normal. The yellow glow was gone, replaced with sad, purple irises, and Keith wondered if every Galra had color under the yellow, why they didn’t show their actual eyes.

She tossed the thing at him, a small chip of something that was shaped suspiciously like the Voltron symbol, and then was off, eyes glowing again.

Something coiled in Keith’s gut as he looked down at the shape in his hands and took a breath. “Hunk. I’m coming up.”

~~~~~

The doors to Yellow swooshed open and Keith entered, pulling his helmet off and sinking down into the seat off to Hunk’s left. “Where’s your friend?” Hunk asked, eyes focused on the space ahead of him.

Keith didn’t answer, instead staring down at the V-shaped chip in confusion. There was the slightest tint of purple running through it and, on a hunch, he dug into his side holster for his Galra knife. He was aware of Hunk lifting an eyebrow, but ignored him, turning the blade around in his hands and finally spotting it: the small, v-shaped chip just on the underside of the handle. 

It fit perfectly. 

The blade slipped from his fingertips and clattered onto the floor, and Hunk was at his side in moments, Yellow on autopilot. “Keith?”

“She…”

“What? What did she do?”

Keith pressed two trembling hands to his mouth and swallowed, mind flashing back on her features, on her eyes, on the concern and sadness in them. “I…Hunk, I think she was my mother.”

Hunk’s jaw practically fell from his face, gaze flickering over Keith nervously. “You sure?”

Keith glanced over at him, face filled with anxiety, and Hunk seemed to understand that this was no time for jokes or questions, instead wrapping a tight arm around his fellow paladin and rubbing his shoulder. “What do you want to do?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Hunk mumbled. “Okay.”

He went to pull away, to take back control of Yellow, but Keith grasped desperately at Hunk’s elbow, face filled with something akin to fear. Hunk sat down again without arguing and tucked his arm back around Keith’s shoulders. “It’ll work out,” Hunk promised quietly. 

“You don’t know that.”

“No,” he admitted. “But you’re Keith. You’re pretty tough.”

Keith gave him a weak grin and leaned down, picking the knife back up and twisting it around in his fingers. “Thanks, Hunk.”


	10. You Won't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not really a fixer upper so much as I headcanon that Lance suffers from depression (constantly wearing long sleeves) and that scene in the mall fountain made me want to write some langst. 
> 
> TW for self harm mentions.

He didn’t think she had seen. He had kept his arms turned inwards, back towards her, hands under the water. His one concern was the moment he had run for the coin the alien was throwing in the fountain, when his stupid brain had told him that a Naruto run would be the best option because why the hell not, right?

But no, of _course_ Lance had shitty luck, of _course_ Pidge was standing in his doorway in her day clothing with a nervous look on her face. He subconsciously tugged on his sleeves and gave her a nonchalant grin, like he hadn’t just been thinking about flinging himself off the top of Blue and into the void. “S’up, Pidge?”

She hesitated on the threshold, like she hadn’t expected the cheerful demeanor. “Um…can I talk to you, Lance?”

Shit. “Yeah, sure, come on in! Shut the door though, it’s late.”

She obliged, the door whooshing shut and Pidge sinking down onto the bed next to him, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her pants. “What can I do for you?” Lance asked. 

_Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm._

Pidge glanced up at him. “You know I love you, right?”

His breath hitched and he forced himself to keep smiling. “Oh yeah? What brought on this little crush?”

“Lance, I’m serious.”

He faltered, noting the tears in her eyes, and his entire body slumped. “Pidge, I’m-”

“Lance.”

He dragged her into a hug, cupping his hands to the back of her head and letting her burrow her head into his chest, eyes stinging. “I’m sorry, Pidge.”

She quivered and wrapped her arms around his back, fingers clenching in his jacket. “ _I’m_ sorry,” she whispered. “I should’ve…should’ve been there for you, shouldn’t’ve teased you so much, and I’m…”

She choked and he tightened his hold on her, rocking her slowly. “Hey. Don’t put this on yourself,” he murmured. “This is all me, okay? None of it you. I didn’t tell you guys for a reason, and it’s because I didn’t want _this._ I didn’t want you to feel guilty. I didn’t want…pity.”

Pidge shuddered under his touch and pulled back, staring up at Lance. “I don’t pity you,” she promised, hands sliding to rest evenly on his wrists. “I _care_ about you, you dummy. And I don’t want…”

Her breath hitched as her thumb caressed over the first ridge and Lance swallowed thickly. He trusted her, he knew that. Trusted her with his life. So pulling off his jacket shouldn’t have felt like lifting a thousand pounds, but it did. His baseball tee covered most of the skin on his arms but left the last inch or two bare, visible to Pidge’s eyes. 

He turned his wrists over, chest aching as he watched Pidge study the self-inflicted scars in silence, fingers pressed together in her lap. There was only one that was fresh, recent, but a flood of shame filled his body and he found himself pulling back, pulling away and reaching for his jacket again. 

Pidge lunged forwards, face in his shoulder this time, and her arms circled his neck. “Don’t,” she hissed. “It’s okay. It’s _okay._ I understand.”

He released his jacket slowly and lifted his arms to curl around her back, and this time he was the one clutching her shirt, body shivering under her. “Okay. Okay.”

“Why didn’t the healing pod…?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted softly, staring at the wall over Pidge’s shoulder. “It didn’t fix Shiro’s either, so I don’t think it can…I don’t think it can fix scars.”

Pidge swallowed and pulled back, sinking onto her knees and pressing her palms to Lance’s cheeks. “I love you,” she said anxiously. “You’re my brother, Lance. And I can’t…I can’t lose another brother.”

Her voice broke and Lance leaned forwards, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “You won’t,” he promised.


	11. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone on Tumblr pointed out that after episode 2, Hunk didn't make physical contact with Lance. I needed to fix it.

It had been an accident, honestly. A congratulatory slap on the back after they had torn down another still operational Galra base in their search for Shiro, that was all. But the moment Hunk’s hand made contact with Lance’s shoulder blade, he froze. He removed his hand like he had been burned and stepped back, stammering a quick apology. 

He couldn’t hear Lance over the suppressed memories that had started to rise back up, the way he had kicked the blue paladin, how he had tried to _murder_ his best friend. Couldn’t hear him over the rising panic in his chest that he might have hurt him again. He had tried so hard, _so hard_ to keep his hands away from Lance, to keep from hurting him again. Hunk wasn’t dumb; he had seen the bruises on Lance’s back after being shoved into the rock walls. 

“HUNK!”

He tuned back in to find Lance in front of him, eyes scared and hand reaching out but not touching. Fear coiled in Hunk’s gut and he took a shaky step away, towards the door. “S-Sorry,” he managed. “I’ll just…I’ll just be on my w-way.”

He bolted before anyone in the room could stop him, flying for the confines of his room, where he could be safe, where he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. The door slid shut behind him and he almost breathed a sigh of relief. 

Until a hand slammed it’s way in between the door jamb and the door and shoved it back open. Lance stood there, bent over double, his breath coming in gasps and a sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Quiznak, you run fast,” he panted.

Hunk swallowed. All of him wanted to tell Lance to leave, but he knew that he wouldn’t. Lance was stubborn like that, and Hunk didn’t want to make him leave if he didn’t want to. Instead, he sat down on his bed and clasped his hands together, feeling like he was too big for his own skin. 

When Lance sat down next to him, finally having caught his breath, Hunk flinched. Lance noticed, of _course_ he noticed, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He glanced away, mimicking Hunk’s position, and Hunk suddenly felt like he was too close, too large, too _big._ He scooted away ever so slightly, trying to ignore the hurt expression on Lance’s face. 

“Dude, what is up with you?” the blue paladin asked, his voice soft and not as accusatory as Hunk had anticipated. “You’re acting like I have the quiznaking plague or something!”

Hunk didn’t think Lance was using that word correctly, but he stayed silent, digging his nails into his skin. It didn’t hurt, the nails were too stubby to hurt, but it gave him something to concentrate on. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled. 

Lance scoffed. “Nothing my ass! You looked like you were going to be sick out there! What, is it something I did? Am I annoying you? Do you want me to stop hanging out with you so much? What did I _do_ , Hunk?”

He sounded so desperate, and when Hunk looked over he was startled to see that Lance was legitimately in tears. His chest tightened and he reached a hand out, only to pull back at the last second and shiver. “You didn’t…you didn’t do anything,” he whispered. “It’s me.”

Lance faltered, face flipping from anxiety to confusion. “What do you mean? Dude, you didn’t do anything.”

“I hurt you!” Hunk snapped, voice breaking, hands shaking in his lap. “When we were on the underwater planet, with the mermaids. I…I _hurt_ you. And I c-can’t…I can’t do that again.”

There was an intake of breath next to him and suddenly Lance was kneeling in front of him, eyes gentler than usual, hands slowly curling around Hunk’s wrists even as he tried to pull back. “Hey,” he murmured. “Hey, look at me. You were under a spell, Hunk. We both were, for a while. That could have easily been me trying to hurt you.”

Hunk swallowed and tugged halfheartedly at Lance’s grip, not willing to yank to get his hands away. Lance didn’t break his hold. “Lance, I’m so much larger than you. Than all of you. I couldn’t live with myself…I _saw_ the bruises I caused!”

Lance winced and finally let go of Hunk’s wrists, leaving the yellow paladin to pull them to his chest. “Hunk,” he pleaded, voice shaking. “I trust you with my life, man. I’m not scared of you. I know you would never purposefully hurt me, hurt any of us!”

He swallowed and sank back on his heels, eyes watering. “I _miss_ you.”

Hunk stared at him, at how vulnerable he looked, and he suddenly had an overwhelming urge to hug his friend, to just gather him close to him and get him to stop crying. A small part of him snapped back, saying he could hurt him, he could crush him with one wrong move, and it took everything in Hunk to shove that aside and sink to the floor in front of Lance. “I miss you too,” he muttered. 

“Can I have a hug, Hunk?”

Hunk cursed internally. Lance knew him too well, knew he would never refuse a hug if someone asked, because everyone needed a hug sometimes and too often went without one. His fingers twitched and he dragged shaking hands through his hair. “You…c-can you…?”

Lance seemed to understand and initiated the contact. Even on the floor Hunk felt so much larger, so much more intimidating, and it was a struggle for him to not bolt as Lance curled his arms around his neck. “It’s okay,” he murmured as he leaned into Hunk. “I’m okay. You’re not hurting me, see?”

Hunk swallowed hard and lifted a trembling palm to hover over Lance’s upper back. Lance tisked in his ear. “That’s not a hug, Hunk.”

“L-Lance, _please.”_

The blue paladin pulled back and stood silently. “Okay,” he murmured, eyes kind. “We’ll stop. But come on. Don’t stay cooped up in here, all right?”

He offered a hand and a fond smile and Hunk took it, gently, barely grasping and pulling himself to his feet more of his own free will. Lance still grinned and turned towards the door. “Oh, Hunk, by the way…catch.”

It happened so fast that Hunk wasn’t sure what was even going on. Lance bolted for his bed, jumped, thrust a foot against the bottom bunk and lunged himself into the air, and Hunk instinctively flung his arms out to catch him. Lance hit his grip hard, hands instantly curling around Hunk’s neck, and Hunk could only gape at the dumbass he was now carrying bridal style. “You _moron!”_

Lance’s eyes glinted with laughter and Hunk suddenly realized he was still holding him. He attempted to set Lance down, but Lance merely curled his arms around his torso and hugged tightly. “See? You caught me. And I didn’t get hurt.”

He was right, Hunk realized, something in his chest stinging. Even though the fall itself wouldn’t have hurt Lance much, because he knew Lance well enough to know that he wouldn’t have given up hope on Hunk until it was too late to catch himself, he had still put his trust in Hunk to keep him safe. Hunk shuddered and couldn’t help it; he swooped Lance up, pressing a tight hand to the back of his head and trembling against him. 

Lance’s feet dangled off the ground, but he just hugged tighter. “Told you, buddy,” he murmured. “I trust you. You’d never let me get hurt on purpose.”

“I’m sorry,” Hunk choked out.

Lance shook his head and wiggled from Hunk’s grasp, feet landing on the floor lightly and hand squeezing Hunk’s bicep. “It’s okay,” he promised. “I understand. Just don’t deprive me of hugs from now on, all right?”

Hunk chuckled and swiped at his eyes, settling a gentle hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Yeah. Yeah, all right.”


	12. Take a Deep Breath and Plunge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after episode 2. With Lance's mentions of the beach in season one, his cheerfulness the whole time they were in the water really wasn't realistic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in Oceanography class watching a documentary and one of the divers was just moving so fluidly (no pun intended) through the water that I had an immediate urge to write this.

“Lance? You coming? Pidge says everyone is right above us,” Hunk informed him through the comms. 

The blue paladin hesitated, his lion hovering just below the surface of the ocean. “I…yeah. Just…give me a second?”

Hunk seemed to understand, leaving him alone and heading back to the castle by himself. Lance ran a quick scan, noting that the water he was in was identical to Earth’s oceans, and swallowed. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, he stripped himself of his armor. He was in no danger, he knew that. Blue would warn him if something went wrong, and the mermaids were friendly. He got down to his boxers and stepped to the back of Blue, moving to the inside of the hatch that they all used when they were coming into one another’s lions in space. It kept anything foreign from getting into the cockpit, including, Lance hoped, water. 

Blue purred in the back of his mind and Lance reached a shaking hand out, tears prickling his eyes as he settled it on her interior wall. “I’ll be fine, girl,” he promised softly. “I just…I need this.”

She rumbled in his chest and then the warning light blared on. Lance took a deep breath as the hatch opened and water rushed into the small room, covering his entire body in a matter of seconds. He kicked off of Blue and into the open ocean, sinking, bubbles sliding lazily through his fingers and hair tickling at his forehead and neck. 

Silence. It was the first thing he noticed. He was used to silence; couldn’t get more silent than space, after all. But there was something different about the silence underwater, something calming rather than scary, and he took a moment to relish in it. 

His eyes fluttered shut, lungs starting to burn, and he focused on his senses. The stillness of the water, the sensation of Blue right next to him, the way his shorts fluttered around his legs and reminded him of swimming with his siblings. He lifted both hands, eyes still firmly shut against the sting of salt, and ran them through his hair firmly, a sigh tugging in the lower part of his chest at the feeling. 

The burning in his lungs had stopped, meaning he had passed the hurdle, and Lance pried his eyes open, twisting in the water to stare up at the surface. He had been on his swim team in high school, had the record for breath holding in his town (almost four minutes), and he had _missed_ this. 

He had missed the subtle currents pushing him, pulling him. The tug of the surface, trying to get him to come up for air, the struggle to force down his natural buoyancy. He had forgotten the way light filtered through water, scattering rainbows over his hands and legs and skin in patterns that outshone any sun catcher that could ever be produced. 

His throat clogged and Lance pressed his right palm to the back of his left hand. He kicked once, firmly, and then dove down through the water, ankles gliding together smoothly and hips curving, sliding, rocking against the growing chill of the ocean. 

He had missed playing mermaids with his younger sisters, missed surfing with his family, missed the feeling of being so _right_ in something that could take his life. He twisted his torso, curling to the right, and did a flip so that he faced Blue again. Lance could feel his lungs starting to ache once more, knew his time was running out, and tears clouded his gaze. He glanced back at the mermaid village, up at the surface, and then shut his eyes again. 

_I’m ready._

Blue scooped him up gently in her maw and the water slid away until he was left sitting on the floor of the hatch, soaking wet and in his boxers with burning tears streaming down his cheeks. She purred in his mind and he shuddered, rubbing his hands briskly up and down his arms. “Let’s go,” he croaked out. 

She seemed to understand that he couldn’t bring himself to pilot, instead turning herself around and exiting the ocean with all the grace he expected the spirit of water to have. He gave himself one tick, two, before getting up and digging around for a towel, drying himself off as best he could and shimmying into his armor. 

Lance sank back into the pilots seat, finally putting his helmet back on, and Hunk’s voice rang in his ears. “You okay?”

It was soft, quiet, and Lance instinctively knew that he had asked the rest of the group to stay off the comms for a moment. “Yeah,” he managed, glancing back to where he knew the water was. “Yeah, I will be.”

He took another deep breath, gripped the handles, and flew for space.


	13. Juniberries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after the space mall episode. Allura wanted something sparkly, and I felt like it would do her some good to bond with Lance.

The tapping on her bedroom door was soft, hesitant, so quiet that she nearly didn’t notice it. Allura set her scrapbook aside and slid off of her bed, wrapping her robe around her and cinching it at the waist as she glided to the door. 

Her first thought was that it was Hunk; he wasn’t shy, per say, but he was polite, and he would knock like that. She knew for a fact it wasn’t Coran. His knocks were firm, quick, and familiar. And it wasn’t Shiro, he tended to tap with his prosthetic and create a metal on metal sound. 

Why Hunk would be knocking so late at night made her curious, so she didn’t hesitate to open the door. She almost wished she had. 

Lance stood there, in his own robe and lion slippers, hands tucked into his robe pockets and a small smile on his face. She sighed, glancing back at her scrapbook. “Lance, I’m not particularly in the mood for flirtatious advances right now. Is something wrong?”

Looking back at him, she could see it was the wrong choice of words. His smile had vanished and his eyebrows had furrowed, a hurt glint in his eyes. “I…no, Princess. I just um well…at the space mall, earlier…I remembered you had said…”

He hesitated, hand lifting to rub the back of his neck, and pulled his other from his pocket, a small, gift wrapped box in it. He handed it over, eyes avoiding hers, and shrugged. “I just…felt bad you couldn’t come. Is all. Goodnight.”

He pressed it into her hands and spun on his heel, practically sprinting down the hallway, robe billowing out behind him like a cape. Allura felt a stab of guilt as she looked down at the box. She hadn’t realized…

Without thinking, she tugged the pink ribbon apart, letting it drift to the floor at her feet, and pulled the top off the box as she walked back inside. Nestled inside amongst a smattering of glittery tissue paper was a necklace, silver in color, that dropped into the shape of a flower. 

A juniberry, to be exact. 

Allura choked, pressing a hand to her mouth and struggling to hold back tears as she set the box down onto her bed and lifted the pendant out, chain dangling from her fingers. The color was perfect, the center glimmering with holographic glitters that caught the reading light at the side of her bed. 

_“While Coran is picking up his lenses, I’ll take you for shopping for something sparkly.”_

_“This isn’t shopping! You’re not wandering around saying ‘What a lovely pink hat! This is so becoming!’ No! I can’t allow Allura to get anywhere near those filthy, low balling Unilu hoodlums.”_

_“But I’d love something sparkly.”_

She swallowed hard, sinking onto her bedspread and drawing her legs up under her, running delicate fingers over the necklace and then promptly dropping her hands in her lap. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling and groaned. 

The poor boy had just been trying to do something nice for her, and she snapped at him. What kind of friend was she? 

She glanced back at her scrapbook, at the pages she had left spread open, of her and her father and a much younger Coran all strolling through a meadow full of the exact juniberries depicted on the necklace. 

Allura had no idea how Lance had paid for it, where in the market he had gotten it from, but he had seen it, remembered her, remembered juniberries, a flower he had never seen in real life, and had gotten it for her. She thumbed the clasp open and drew it up around her neck, securing it together and letting the pendant fall to rest on her collarbone, cool on her typically warm skin. 

After a moment of thought, she re-tied her robe, picked up the scrapbook, and hurried out of the room. 

She knew where he’d be. 

~~~~~

“Juniberries were Altea’s national plant.”

Lance dragged his eyes away from the window, glancing over his shoulder to see Allura leaning against the entrance to the observation deck. He smiled warmly and tilted his head invitingly and she crossed the room, sinking down next to him and crossing her legs comfortably under her. To her obvious surprise, he pressed a steaming mug of cocoa into her hands and waited for her to speak again. 

“They bloomed in what Earthlings would consider summer, thousands of them. They were a social plant. They could never grow alone, so when they were given as gifts, they had to be in bunches of at least three. Father used to tell me that me and my mother were his juniberry patch.”

Her voice drifted off and Lance shifted closer to her, taking the blanket draped around his shoulders and stretching it over hers as well. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he murmured, pulling his own cup of cocoa into his hands and curling his fingers around it. He stared thoughtfully out the window before taking a long, burning gulp. 

She shook her head, tucking a strand of hair over one ear. “Not at all,” she promised. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to snap at you. I was just certain…”

She trailed, wincing as she realized how rude what she was about to say was, and Lance chuckled. “It’s okay,” he said. “I do get a reputation of being a flirt. If it…if it really does make you uncomfortable, I’ll stop. I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable.”

He looked at her with such sincerity that she felt awful for thinking he was only a jokester, someone that only cared about girls and pranks. “It…at times, it can be inappropriate,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t truly bother me. Regardless, I should not have assumed your intentions for coming to me. All of you should feel like you’re able to come speak with me about anything.”

“I do.”

She glanced up at him and smiled, lifting a hand to run her fingers over the necklace, the smooth magenta stone soothing her. Lance’s eyes flickered to it and his lips twitched up. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Where did you find it?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

Lance winked. “Trade secret.”

She giggled and nudged him, having not felt this comfortable with someone other than Coran since her father had died. Allura lifted her mug to her lips and took a delicate sip, watching as the stars drifted lazily past the window. Or rather, she supposed, as they drifted past the stars. “Would you like to look through my album with me?” she asked, holding it out to Lance.

Lance studied it for a moment before tilting his head. “If you want to. Or we can just sit here. That’s usually what I do up here. We’ve got the whole night.”

She nodded and set the book on the floor, flipping it open and thumbing through the pages until she landed on one entirely of juniberry fields, one with her and her father standing in the center, another with her and Coran, and one of just the juniberries. Lance’s eyes gazed down at the pages and he offered an almost sad smile. “Your father seems like he was a good man,” he noted. 

Allura appreciated that, and she nodded. “Yes. He was very kind. Always made sure he had time for me, especially after my mother’s passing.”

Lance glanced over at her. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s….it’s all right.”

They were silent for a moment, watching the stars and sipping their cocoa, huddled under the blanket together. When Lance spoke again, it was softer than she had ever imagined he could be, gently inquisitive. “Did you have any siblings?”

“No. I was an only child. What about you?”

Lance chuckled, tapping his fingers against his mug. “Five. Three older, two younger. You remind me a lot of my oldest sister.”

He was staring out the window as he said it, but she could hear the wistfulness in his voice. She hummed in the back of her throat and leaned ever so subtly against his shoulder. “If it means anything,” she tried, “I consider you as a sibling I’ve never had. All of you, really, as family. But you seem the most…brotherly, of the paladins. If that makes sense.”

Lance huffed, an amused sound, and when she peeked over at him she could swear he was blushing. “Yeah. It does. Thanks, Allura.”

She nodded, twisting her necklace in her fingers, and went back to observing the stars. She was starting to feel drowsy, sitting so close to another person with a warm blanket around her shoulders and a hot drink in her stomach. She set the mug down so she wouldn’t drop it and, ignoring the slight embarrassment in her chest, settled her head gently into the crook of Lance’s neck. 

He jolted but didn’t ask her to move, instead wrapping an arm around her and rubbing his thumb in soothing circles over her upper bicep. She sighed, content, and allowed herself to relax, to focus on the sound of Lance’s breathing, the passing of the stars, the stones under her fingers, and the face of her father smiling up at her from a field of juniberries. 

She dreamed about family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't mentioned this before, but if there was anything from season two that you wanted to see fixed (or season one, to be honest), let me know. Little scenes or lines that bothered you, I'd be happy to write them if you wanted.


	14. Playing Favorites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance finally snaps and rants at Shiro about him playing favorites.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SmilesRawesome mentioned doing something like this a while back, and I finally got my shit together and wrote the damn thing lol. I got into a Voltron mood tonight and felt like writing. I wouldn't say this addition fixes anything, but it's certainly an eye opener for Shiro.

Shiro hadn’t noticed it in the beginning, what with everyone being so paranoid about fighting Zarkon for what would hopefully be the final time. He had brushed it off at first, thinking that all of his teammates were on edge, were focused, were coming to terms with the idea that this might be their last fight completely. 

But when Lance didn’t respond to a question Shiro had pushed at him directly, he was forced to come to terms with it: Lance was ignoring him. 

It could have been that he just didn’t hear him, but of the Paladins, Lance probably had the best hearing. When Allura repeated Shiro’s instructions to him, a little desperately, and Lance followed through without hesitation, completing each step perfectly, Shiro’s stomach sank. 

They couldn’t afford to be ignoring each other, couldn’t afford to be mad at one another anymore. Whatever Lance’s beef with him was, Shiro needed him to get over it immediately, or forming Voltron could prove to be a hassle. He watched a little longer, just to make sure he wasn’t going crazy (a very plausible theory), and, after the same thing happened two more times, he confronted Lance in some of their very rare down time. 

He found the blue paladin in the main room, alone with his feet kicked up on the edge of the sofa and an Altean magazine in his hands, which he was flipping through aimlessly. He paused on certain pages, mouth moving like he was trying to pronounce some of the words, and Shiro made a mental note to start trying to learn Altean. For now, though, he had to focus. “Hey Lance?”

Lance barely even acknowledged his existence, glancing up the tiniest bit to cock an eyebrow in Shiro’s general direction before looking back down at the pages. He didn’t answer, merely kept his brow lifted and thumbed through the next few articles.

Shiro swallowed. He had never been given the silent treatment, didn’t know how to approach it. While part of him was pissed off, saying that Lance was acting childish and dumb, the more rational part of him reasoned that if Lance of all people was being this way towards him, there was something wrong. He knew it was only with him, too. He behaved the same with the rest of the group, even Keith, and that spoke volumes to Shiro. 

“Is um…is something wrong?” he tried. 

Lance poked his tongue from between his lips, eyebrows furrowing together like he was trying to think of what to say, but he remained quiet. Shiro worried at his lower lip, lifting his prosthetic to rub the back of his neck. “Cause um…cause if something is wrong…or if I did something, I’d like to uh…I’d like you to tell me.”

“What, so now you’ll listen?”

The words were bitter, snapping, and they stung like freshly slapped skin. He had never heard Lance so angry towards someone he was usually pleasant to. He hadn’t looked up either, fingers tightening around the magazine and mouth set in a hard frown. 

Shiro’s shoulders slumped and he furrowed his eyebrows. “Lance, let me-”

“No. No you let _me_ , Shiro,” Lance hissed, finally chucking aside the magazine and getting to his feet, rising to his full 6 foot height. While he didn’t tower over Shiro, he was the slightest bit taller, and with his stance and the utter disgust in his eyes, Shiro found himself shrinking back in what he refused to call fear. 

“You let me talk,” he continued. “You let me actually put my two cents in for one quiznaking time, okay?”

He cut his words off and wrinkled his nose into what could almost be called a sneer, and Shiro nodded numbly, holding up his hands in a protective gesture. Lance didn’t seem to notice or care, fists turning white at his sides. 

“You took Keith to the Blade headquarters with you.”

 _That_ was what this was about? Shiro frowned and opened his mouth, and before he could blink he found himself face down on the floor, Lance’s knee pressed to his back and his prosthetic arm wrenched behind him. His breath was gone and he found that, for the first time ever, he was actually frightened of the blue paladin. 

“Don’t. Let me finish.”

He released Shiro and stood up again, crossing his arms and waiting for the black paladin to pick both his pride, self, and jaw off the floor. His eyebrows were narrowed into one and his mouth still scowled, but Shiro could swear he saw the tiniest hint of guilt flicker over his face before it hardened again. 

“You picked Keith. After I told you not to. My lion, while she might not be as quick, is the second fastest of the lions and the second smallest. Her ability with water would have been perfect for dealing with the heat, and I’m way more level headed than Keith.”

Shiro frowned and went to open his mouth again, but another withering glare from Lance shut him up. “I’ve already discussed this with Keith.”

_He had?_

“I’m glad he got to figure out who he was, Shiro, and he is too. But we both think that you favored him over me for reasons that weren’t tactical. You know he still has nightmares about those trials?”

 _What?_

Lance’s face and stance softened ever so slightly. “You didn’t, did you? He does. He has nightmares almost every night about them, and I only know because we share a wall. He got hurt, Shiro. _Badly._ Because you played favorites and didn’t look at the facts. And I’m not the only person you do it with. When was the last time you actually had a one-on-one conversation with Hunk that wasn’t about a mission?”

Shiro hesitated, wracking his brain, pressing a hand to his mouth and shutting his eyes when he realized that he couldn’t pinpoint one time. 

“And Pidge? When was the last time you really sat down and helped her out with her dad and Matt? She’s _hurting_ , Shiro.”

He winced and ducked his head. 

“And me…”

Lance’s voice had cracked and Shiro whipped his gaze up to find the paladin looking away, jaw locked in the signature tell of struggling not to cry. “I looked up to you,” Lance managed, fists trembling. “I looked up to you, at the Garrison, in the beginning here. And then you started playing favorites. Stopped looking at what we’re capable of. What _I’m_ capable of. And I’m sick of being treated like I’m just some lackey who’s here to be the butt of a joke.”

He squared his shoulders and his nerves and looked Shiro in the eyes and yup, there were tears wavering there. Shiro reached out, faltered, drew back. “Lance, I don’t-”

“Save it,” Lance muttered. “I don’t want to hear your excuses or your pity. There’s nothing you can say to me that will change what I just said. You picked Keith as a team leader, without asking him. He doesn’t want it, Shiro. You didn’t discuss it with us, with _Allura,_ who’s literally a magical princess whose father built Voltron in the first place. Why not her? Or Coran, or Hunk? Or me?” 

Shiro noticed he had left Pidge out of the potential leaders, and he knew there was a reason for it. 

“Pidge is too young, too focused on her family-”

There it was. 

“-but the rest of us, Shiro? The rest of us are just as capable as Keith, if not more than, to lead Voltron. But you picked him.”

Lance licked his lips and grabbed the magazine he had been reading, pacing to the doorway and resting a hand on it, his shoulders falling and his head bowing. “You need to consider why that is,” he said softly. 

He walked out, leaving Shiro to stand alone.


	15. I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was rewatching Escape From Beta Traz and the utter fear in Pidge's voice when she shouts Lance's name got to me. So I needed to write a scene for that. Friendship fluff

It was the night after Zarkon had been defeated, the night after Shiro had vanished, and someone was knocking on Lance’s door. 

He was exhausted, mentally and physically, and he didn’t particularly want to answer it. But it could be an emergency, something wrong, and he couldn’t avoid that. So he trudged to his door, wearing nothing but his pajama pants and a loose fitting tank top, and pressed his palm against the sensors on the wall. 

“Pidge?”

She looked up and Lance slumped, noting the red rims of her eyes. He turned aside immediately, setting a gentle hand on her back and guiding her into the room, letting the door whoosh shut behind them. 

“You okay?” he asked softly. 

She shook her head, sitting down on his bed and wringing her hands in her lap. She wore a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt, one that made her look smaller than she really was. It emphasized a vulnerable side to her that Lance wasn’t used to seeing in someone usually so confident and outgoing. 

He collapsed next to her, bumping shoulders and knees and clasping his own hands together. “I miss him too,” he murmured. “But we’ll fi-”

“This isn’t about Shiro,” she interrupted, her voice barely a whisper. 

Lance faltered before remembering the information she had found while they were rescuing Slav. “Oh. Matt. Look, if he’s with the Blade members, I bet he’s totally fine. We can ask Kolivan-”

“It’s not about Matt either.”

He jolted and glanced over at her, raising a confused eyebrow. “Then what-?”

Without warning, she flung herself at his torso and buried her face into his chest, heaving sobs wracking her body and shivering down her petite form. Her grip was strong despite this, fingers clenching at his back and arms a vise around his waist. 

Lance lifted his hands automatically, sliding one over the back of her head and into her hair, fingers tangling gently, and the other rubbing soothing circles over her back. He was startled, to say the least, and was grateful his room was mostly dark, because he was sure he looked like a gaping fish. “Hey,” he murmured, twisting a bit so that he could bring his left knee up onto the bed and hug her properly. “Hey, c’mon, kiddo. What’s going on?”

She hiccuped and Lance gave her a moment to regain her composure, holding her close to him and shutting his eyes, humming an old Spanish lullaby in the back of his throat while he waited. 

“When we were….rescuing Slav. And that g-guy…he just… _grabbed_ you. I thought you…”

Her voice broke and Lance stroked her head, still humming, patient, though he could feel the tears prickling at his eyes. “I thought he was going to snap you in half right there,” she choked out against his shirt. Her blubbering had soaked it through, but he didn’t mind. 

Lance remembered that moment; he had heard the panic in Pidge’s voice when she shouted his name, but he hadn’t realized just how terrified she had been for him. “I’m okay,” he promised quietly, pausing his rubbing to pull back and cup her cheek in his hand, stroking gently at the tears running down her face. “I’m right here. You saved my butt, for like the millionth time, Pidgeotto.”

She swallowed and pulled off her glasses, swiping at her eyes furiously. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. I should um…I should go-”

He took her glasses without a word, reaching over to set them on his night table, and then leaned back against his pillow, holding his arm out welcomingly. “C’mere.”

She didn’t hesitate, clambering up next to him and curling into his side, head resting on his shoulder and fingers curled tightly into his tank top. He wrapped his arm protectively around her still shaking body and pressed a kiss to her temple, tender, soft, but firm. “I’m here,” he promised. “For anything you need. Get some sleep, okay?” 

Pidge nodded and her eyes fluttered shut, body relaxing ever so slightly against Lance’s and breathing starting to come back down from where it had been bordering on a panic attack. Lance dragged his blanket up over them, called for the lights to go out, and finally crashed.


	16. Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fix-it from Season One episode Crystal Venom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to finally write a Season One fixer after rewatching the scene where Lance almost got sucked out into space. Klance fluff (not romantic, just fluffy)

The knock on his door was faint, so soft, that Keith almost didn’t hear it. The first time it happened, he glanced up from polishing his blade, certain he was hearing things. But then it came again, more tentatively, and he set his blade and rag aside and stood, stepping to the door and pressing his hand to the sensor to unlock it. 

Lance stood outside, his head ducked and eyebrows furrowed. He wasn’t wearing his jacket, was fiddling with his shirt hem, and looked nervous for some reason. Given the day they had, Keith wasn’t too surprised to see him looking anxious. But why was he here?

“Lance? Everything okay?” he tried, raising an eyebrow and leaning against his door-frame. 

He hesitated, eyes flickering up to Keith’s and shoulders slumping. “I just um…I just came to say thank you.”

Keith blinked, straightening up and tilting his head curiously. “What? Why?”

Lance licked his lips and glanced down the hallway, his feet shifting under him. “This afternoon, when I…I thought I was going to die.”

His voice cracked and Keith froze, his eyes widening as he watched Lance lift his arms to hug himself. “I mean,” he continued with a harsh laugh, “I suppose I should be used to that by now, right? Been in the cryopods, constantly in battle, but um…it felt more…real today, I guess. And if you hadn’t shown up and gotten my ass out of there I’d be-”

Lance broke off, swallowing audibly, and took a shaky step back. “A-Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. You didn’t um….you didn’t leave me there.”

Keith reached out before he could step away any further, catching the sleeve of his shirt and staring at the paladin with concern. “Dude. Why would I? Plus, that helped me not die, too. You being out there inadvertently saved me from becoming a shish kabob.”

He hoped the humor would ease some of Lance’s anguish, but if anything his body tensed more. “Shit, I didn’t even-are you okay? It didn’t hurt you or anything?”

Keith blinked. “Wha-? No. No, Lance, I’m perfectly fine. Hey.”

He lifted his other hand, clasping onto Lance’s shoulders and squeezing them tightly. “I’m okay. You’re okay. I wouldn’t have left you there. No one would have. We’re…we’re teammates. Friends. I couldn’t live with myself if…”

He trailed off and glanced down, fingers loosening their grip on Lance’s arms and slipping a little. He could feel Lance studying him. “Don’t kill me, okay?”

Keith frowned, looking up. “Why would I-?”

Lance pulled him into a hug, warm, firm, fingers clenching onto his tee shirt and nose pressing to his shoulder. Keith jolted a little at the unexpected contact but lifted his hands to Lance’s back, curling his own fingers into his shirt and then mimicking Lance’s gesture, shutting his eyes and burying his face into Lance’s neck. 

They stood like that for a solid twenty seconds, each relishing in the other’s warmth, before Lance pulled away, cheeks a little red. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just um…I needed that.”

Keith managed a smile. “I’m not complaining. I’m…glad you’re okay.”

Lance glanced up at him through his bangs, his lips twitching upwards. “I’m glad you are too. Thank you, Keith.”

“Stop thanking me, you loser.”

His smile widened. “Goodnight, Keith.”

Keith chuckled, leaning back against his door-frame and watching as Lance walked to his room, pausing to glance back at Keith and wave timidly. “Goodnight, Lance.”

It had been a long, haunting day. He was ready to sleep for an eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have ideas you wanted to see from either season, you can let me know! No promises I'll get to them any time soon, but I'm always up for new writing prompts! Especially when it comes to writing paladin friendships.


	17. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the worst lol I was all set to write prompts that people had given me and I just....did not. I'msosorrydon'thateme. But then Megan said something about wanting Pidge and Keith bonding and I also wanted Pidge and Keith bonding. Idk if this counts as a fixer or not but it seemed most appropriate to put here. 
> 
> Probs gonna write more of these as we get closer to Season 3 (28 DAYS)

Keith didn’t find Pidge until almost one am. 

Granted, he had been almost too scared to look; what with the way Lance and Hunk had broken down, he was terrified to see how Pidge was taking Shiro’s disappearance. But he was acting leader now, and Hunk and Lance had finally passed out with Allura on the floor in the main room, and, after Coran had promised to keep an eye on them, Keith had pushed himself to go find the green paladin. 

He checked her usual haunts first; her room, the tiny nook behind the main turbines that hid all noise, the observation room above the training deck. He didn’t find her in any of those places, didn’t really expect to, and so he headed for Green’s hangar, fingers tapping at his thighs nervously as he walked. 

Keith had no idea what to say to her when he found her. What can you say, when the person you looked up to, the person that had been like a brother, had vanished into thin air?

He felt the familiar sting of tears at the back of his eyes and swallowed, blinking furiously and taking a shaky breath to calm down. He couldn’t afford to lose it. Pidge might have been one of the toughest members of the group, tougher than even Shiro, Keith sometimes thought, but she was still only fourteen. She had already lost her brother and father, and Keith couldn’t begin to imagine what she was going through now. 

The doors to Green’s hangar whooshed open with a puff of cool air that blew Keith’s bangs from his face. Not surprisingly, the lion’s forcefield was up and the eyes were lit, implying that Pidge was up in the robot’s head. 

He slipped across the floor with barely a whisper of sound, his tread light and his heart heavy, open hand lifting to settle on the barrier. “Please…let me in,” he whispered pleadingly, gazing up at the animal. 

Green didn’t hesitate, the barrier dissolving just enough for Keith to duck inside and pull his way into the lion’s cockpit. 

He slumped when he entered, the feeble pep talk he had been struggling to write in his head shattering the moment he saw her. She was asleep, curled into the smallest ball possible on her pilot’s chair. Tear tracks lined her face, her nose was a painful red color, and a tissue was crumpled into the palm of her hand. Her glasses were on the console next to her, and her breathing hitched every few moments, like she was struggling not to cry even in her sleep. 

Keith swallowed and stepped over to the youngest paladin, stretching a hand out and then pulling it back to his chest, not certain how to proceed. Green nudged at him in his mind, encouraging, and he moved again, kneeling and settling a hand on Pidge’s knee, shaking gently. “Pidge. Hey. Wake up.”

She jolted awake, nearly punching him in the nose, and squinted at him in the darkness of the cockpit, lit only by the soft colors of her console. “Keith?” she mumbled, rubbing her left eye with the heel of her hand. “What time’s it?”

He pursed his lips, eyebrows furrowing. “Almost one. Come on. Let’s get you back to your room.”

He was surprised with how gentle he sounded, how exhausted and utterly broken, and she seemed to recognize it, her eyes flickering over him with an ache that he had seen mirrored in Lance and Hunk. She swung her legs down and bent, leaning on her elbows and clasping her hands together. He gave her the moment to breathe, reaching out for her glasses and handing them over, waiting patiently until she took them. 

“Are you…?”

“If you say okay, I’ll electrocute you,” Pidge quipped humorlessly. 

Keith gulped and looked away, his ankles quivering at the effort of staying in his squatted position. He saw Pidge deflate out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” she murmured to the floor. “I didn’t mean to…”

Her voice cracked and Keith flinched, twisting back to her and gripping her wrist gently. “It’s okay,” he promised. 

“No it’s not,” she protested, her voice heavy with tears and guilt. “You lost him too, and you guys were way closer, and I sh-shouldn’t be s-so _mean_ t-to…”

Pidge cut herself off with a hand to her mouth, one that stifled her sobs and made her entire body shake. Keith went with the Hunk and Lance approach, knowing there was no other way to do this, and lifted his arms, tugging her from the chair and into his lap. They both collapsed to the floor and gripped at each other, Keith leaning his chin on top of her head and Pidge outright bawling into his chest, her fingers tight on the back of his shirt. 

“You’re allowed to miss him too,” he whispered, heart crumbling at how utterly awful she sounded. “He’s not just my brother to miss.”

Her sobs got harder, her grip firmer, and Keith hugged back just as hard, tears slipping freely over his cheeks and hands rubbing circles onto her back. Green purred in their minds, comforting, a strength they couldn’t be, and eventually Pidge quieted enough to form a coherent sentence. 

“Sorry I got your shirt all gross.”

Keith laughed, a feeble laugh, but a real one, and he loosened his grip on her just a bit. “It’s okay,” he promised. “You should’ve seen what Hunk did to Lance’s.”

Pidge stiffened in his grip and thunked her head against his collarbone with a groan which, in any other situation, would probably have hurt. “I’m the worst,” she whimpered. “I didn’t even think-”

“Hey.”

Keith pushed her back, forced her to meet his gaze, and squeezed her shoulders. “It’s okay. You needed to be alone. I of all people get that.”

“Are they…?”

“They’re okay. Everyone’s sleeping in the lounge tonight.” Keith hesitated and tilted his head. “You wanna go up?”

Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose, curled into Keith, and nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Yeah, I think that’d be good.”

Keith scooped her up off the floor before she could protest, striding out of the green lion with her paladin clinging to his neck, laughter echoing off the walls and cold fingers tangling into his hair. “Keith!” she protested, squirming in his grip. “I can walk!”

“Nope.”

“You’re a jerk.”

“I know.”

Coran looked at them in mild confusion when they walked in, though relief flooded his eyes, and he silently handed Pidge a blanket and pillow. Keith plopped her down on Lance’s right and kicked his shoes off, grabbing another blanket from Coran before sinking down next to her. “Go to sleep,” he said, voice succumbing to the feeling of quiet in the room. “We’ll be here when you get up.”

Coran nodded in agreement and Pidge swallowed. Lance rolled over before she could make any other excuse, and his sleepy voice permeated the room. “C’mon, Pidgeon.”

He held out an arm, radiating warmth, and Pidge glanced over him, at Allura curled against his back and using Hunk’s chest as a pillow, and she obliged, sinking into his grip and pulling Keith down with her, her fingers tightening in his t-shirt. He reached up and took the glasses from her face, pulled the blanket up and over his chest, and glanced wearily at Coran. 

The man called for lights out, and as the lights dimmed to near non-existence, he curled up on the couch above them with his own blanket. Keith peered up through the darkness towards Pidge, voice soft. “We’ll get him back.”

Her breath caught and she nodded, wrapped her arms around his torso, and collapsed. Keith wasn’t far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if that last scene is understandable, but basically Hunk is on the far right end, Allura is using his head as a pillow, Lance was laying next to her and now they're back to back, and Pidge is basically sandwiched between Lance and Keith with her back to Lance's chest and her face in Keith's. 
> 
> Space Uncle is watching over all of them like the Space Uncle he is. 
> 
> [Buy me a coffee?](http://ko-fi.com/pftones)


	18. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place directly after the famous "bonding moment."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think...I'm gonna try to do one Fixer Upper a day this week, in celebration of Season 3. So stay tuned for more!!
> 
> Klance fluff ahoy!

“We did it. We are a good team.”

Keith gave Lance a soft smile and shifted on the floor, lifting his free hand up Lance’s back and settling it on his shoulder. “You okay to stand?”

Lance grunted, ducking his head and shutting his eyes. His jaw locked and he gave a sharp nod. Keith leaned back gently, tugging Lance’s arm with him and guiding him with the hand on his back. Lance’s arm wavered as he pushed himself off the floor, his knees trembling when he stood, and before Keith could move, he stumbled and collapsed into his side, his entire body shaking. 

Keith instantly wrapped an arm around the paladin, dragging Lance’s arm around his neck and holding him steady. “You all right?” he asked, unwilling to move until he got the go-ahead. 

Lance’s breath came in short puffs, and there was already sweat trickling down his forehead. His eyes were watering, and Keith could practically hear his teeth digging together as he tried to pull some of his weight off of him. “I…give me a second.”

He nodded and looked over at Pidge, who had helped Shiro up. Shiro was fine, it seemed, just exhausted and a little bruised. They glanced over at the duo, lifting their eyebrows, and Keith shook his head. 

“I’m gonna go help Hunk and Coran,” Pidge announced, breaking the tense silence. 

Shiro nodded. “I’ll go with Keith and Lance.”

“Can you run ahead, actually?” Keith asked, shooting Shiro a desperate look. “He needs to be in a pod as soon as possible, and since Coran is helping Hunk and Allura is settling Sendak, I need someone to set up a pod.”

Shiro nodded and left with Pidge, and Keith turned his gaze back to Lance. The blue paladin’s face was sheet white, the sheen of sweat soaking into his hair now, and Keith cursed. “Lance?”

“…yeah. Yeah, let’s go.”

Keith grunted and tugged Lance as close as possible, helping him stumble out the door and down the hall to the med bay. They were silent for a bit, heavy pants and thudding footsteps the only noise between them, and then Lance spoke up. 

“Thank you,” he croaked. 

Keith nearly dropped him. “For what?” he asked easily, looking sideways at the teen. 

Lance huffed, lifting an arm to mop at his forehead, and when he dropped it again he seemed to sag just a little more. “Coming back to help us. Help me.”

He frowned and Keith hesitated, not willing to take time away from Lance’s healing but also knowing that the moment Lance wasn’t in pain he would pretend none of this had happened. “Why wouldn’t-?”

“I’m sorry I was so useless the whole time.”

Okay, that was enough to drag Keith to a halt. Lance stumbled at the sudden stop, but Keith turned to face him as best he could, their position suddenly reminding him of the moment they had saved Shiro. Lance looked surprised at the change. “You were not useless,” he snapped. 

Lance swallowed, eyes shifting to the floor, and Keith softened a little. “Lance, you’re the only reason Coran wasn’t unconscious with you. If you hadn’t shoved him out of the way, he couldn’t have taken Hunk to go get a new crystal to save the castle. And you saved Pidge from getting crushed to death by Sendak.”

Lance’s head bobbed just a bit and Keith squeezed the hand that was draped over his shoulder, offering a tentative smile when Lance glanced back up. “You might have been out for a while, but that doesn’t mean you were useless. If anything…”

He pursed his lips and peered down the hall, expecting Shiro to start yelling at him to hurry up. Keith shifted and started walking again, tugging Lance carefully so that he knew to follow. “If anything, I was more useless than you. Allura was giving Pidge and the mice instructions the whole time we were locked out, so I was just…stuck outside. Couldn’t do anything until the particle barrier went down. The fire was a ploy, so we didn’t even have to do anything in the village.”

“You trapped Sendak,” Lance managed to get out as they rounded the corner. Shiro was waiting for them outside the infirmary, talking to a worried looking Allura, but Keith paid them no mind for a moment. 

“What?”

Lance looked sideways at him. “I saw you. Trap him. Allura put the shield up but you…you put him there.”

Keith gave him a small smile, fighting the warmth in his cheeks, and glanced up as Shiro came over to help get Lance the rest of the way inside. 

He fell silent while they helped him into the suit, and while Allura calmly explained how the pod worked, assuring him that he would be all right, and then Keith helped him up into the pod, wincing with him every time Lance hit a bone the wrong way. 

His fingers shook on the buckle around Lance’s waist, and Lance thunked his head back against the inside of the pod. His hands were trembling now, and there were tear tracks down his cheeks that Keith chose tactfully not to mention. “You’ll be okay,” he murmured as he stepped back. 

Lance cracked open an eye and gave him a wry smile. “Thanks.”

Allura pressed a button, the pod slit shut, and the room went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been struggling a bit recently, so if you could [buy me a coffee](http://ko-fi.com/pftones) I'd really appreciate it.


	19. Return to the Balmera: Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get it cause they were there...they were there twice...I'm so bad at titles help me. 
> 
> This was suggested fucking god knows how long ago by Miyuki_Namida49. And since I'm trying to do one of these every day this week up until Friday, I figured I'd pull from the comments.

“Great work Paladins. Now return to the castle so we can get back to Olkarion,” Allura ordered. 

Hunk hesitated, drawing Yellow back a bit. “Actually, Princess, would it be okay if we went to check on the Balmerans? I just want to make sure they’re all right.”

“He means he wants to see his giiiirrrllllfrieeeennndddd,” Pidge taunted. 

Allura calmed Hunk’s indignant “SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” with a chuckle. “Yes, all right. Hunk, you may return to the Balmera. The rest of you return to the ship please.”

“Sweet!”

~~

Hunk landed Yellow on the surface of the Balmera, clambering out of his mouth and looking around anxiously, helmet under his arm. The group gathered looked at him with a mixture of surprise and delight, and he had just opened his mouth to speak when there was a shuffling in the crowd. He perked up, stretching up onto his tiptoes to see over the heads of the much taller aliens, and his face split into a grin when Shay burst through. 

“Shay!” he cried in delight, setting his helmet down and sweeping the Balmeran into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay!”

Her cheeks were darker than usual, and she glanced down shyly when Hunk pulled back to look at her. “I am glad you are all right as well. I did not think you would come down to say hello.”

Hunk scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “No way. Allura wanted us to leave, but I needed to check on you…on you guys. Make sure no one got hurt during the battle.”

His expression grew serious for a moment and he glanced back at the crowd. “No one got hurt, right?”

“A few minor bumps and bruises,” one of them informed him. “From falling debris. But no one was seriously injured.”

Shay smiled and squeezed his bicep, her eyes shining. “Thank you for coming to check, though. I…we appreciate it.”

Hunk suddenly realized that they were surrounded by Balmerans watching their interaction, and that Keith was waiting for him up above in the red lion (so that he had someone watching his back just in case) and he flushed, letting go of Shay and stepping back. Hunk cleared his throat and ducked his head. 

“Right. Well we uh-we have to go. Stop Zarkon and all that. Thank you guys for your help, seriously. We couldn’t do any of this without you. And I’ll um…we’ll be back, I hope. When Zarkon is gone.”

The Balmerans all chorused their goodbyes and Hunk turned his gaze to Shay, a sheepish smile on his face. “See you soon?”

She leaned over and pressed a tiny kiss to his cheek, and Hunk’s skin started burning. Shay was a completely different shade of brown when she pulled back, and Hunk couldn’t help the goofy grin that split his face in two. 

He climbed back into Yellow like a giddy child, ready to fight anyone who dared lay a finger on their universe, and Keith’s soft and slowly-becoming-familiar chuckle entered his headset. “Not your girlfriend, huh?”

“Not a word, Keith. Not a word.”


	20. Apologize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after the scene where Allura ignores Keith after he and Hunk brought back the scaultrite from the Weblum. This was suggested by someone a couple chapters back but I can't remember who. I'm the worst.

“Hey uh…Keith?”

Keith glanced up to find Hunk standing in his doorway, still in full armor, helmet under one arm and feet shifting on the floor. He turned his gaze back to pulling off his suit and grunted, trying hard to hide the anger and pain in his voice. “What?”

“I…I’m sorry.”

He froze, brain ricocheting through all of the things he had expected Hunk to say and not finding that phrase anywhere. “What?” he managed, lifting his head to stare at the yellow paladin. 

Hunk gnawed on his lower lip and stepped fully inside, letting the door shut behind him. He set his helmet down on Keith’s desk and ducked his head, clasping his hands behind his back. “For…for what happened out there.”

Oh.

Keith’s eyes burned and he looked away, forcing his jaw not to quiver. “Yeah, well,” he grumbled, fingers tightening on the Kevlar like material of his under-suit, “I already knew she hated me. So that wasn’t really a surprise.”

His voice cracked and he cursed internally, hunching over the desk. He was well aware of Hunk turning to stare at him, and he flinched when his hand landed on his back, gentle, cautious. “Hey. I told you. She doesn’t hate you.”

“Except you said she did,” Keith couldn’t help but spit out, hands curling into fists, knuckles burning against the cold wood of the desk. “You said it yourself, so clearly she fucking does.”

Hunk flinched back at the venom in his tone and Keith slumped, feeling bad for having snapped at the guy. “Hunk, I’m…thank you for standing up for me. I appreciate that a lot more than I could ever tell you. But I just…”

He swallowed and cracked his neck, biting down hard on his lip. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted softly. “I don’t know how to make her…”

Keith gestured vaguely at the wall, at a loss for words, and Hunk turned him around with a mere hand on his shoulder, eyes gentle. “It’s gonna take her time,” the paladin said, glancing towards the door. “But Keith…she’s in the wrong on this one. You need to know that. All of us. Every single one of us…we’re on your side. Even Coran. You should have heard Lance and Shiro go off on her after you left.”

Keith blinked, startled. “What?”

Hunk chuckled, shaking his head and squeezing Keith’s shoulder gently. “They were pissed, man. You risked your life just as much as I did, and she brushed it off because you were Galra. They weren’t pleased about that. I think Pidge was too mad to talk, actually.”

Keith frowned. “I left like…five minutes ago.”

“I know. I left to come find you.”

Hunk hesitated, letting his hand drop and taking a step back. “If you need to be alone, I get that. I’ll go. I just…we’re here for you, man. All of us. We got your back.”

He turned to go, and Keith jolted out of his mind, reaching a hand out. “Hunk.”

Hunk glanced back with a lifted eyebrow and Keith pressed his lips into a thin line. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “For coming to check on me. It means a lot. And for the record, you risked your butt way more than I did out there.”

The yellow paladin cracked a grin. “Nah. Just had to provoke it. You had to sit in a blisteringly hot intestine with someone who may or may not have been an enemy. You win that one.”

He winked, picked up his helmet, and left Keith feeling lighter than he had all week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *buries head in hands* Season Three is going to kill me, isn't it? Ho boy. 
> 
> I've been really struggling lately, and I won't have money to buy food or medicine once my bills get paid next week, so if you enjoy my writing, I'd really appreciate it if you could [buy me a coffee.](http://ko-fi.com/pftones) Sometimes I feel like I'm screaming into the void with this, but I needed to try. Thanks


	21. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in Season 3, episode 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 
> 
> Honestly there's almost nothing to fix this season, save for a few scenes I would have liked to see. It was such a satisfying season. 
> 
> Anyway, have the missing moment between Lance and Red.

The sound of screaming from his helmet died down as Lance skidded into the Red lion’s hangar, his heart pounding with both exertion and anxiety. If Allura was wrong and Red had wanted her instead of him…that meant that not only did they still not have five pilots, but he was even more useless to the team than before. 

Red’s familiar heat and anger swirled in his mind, but not blind, unchecked anger, no. Rather, it was anger for the safety of her team, the team that was currently shrieking for Lance’s help, anger that anyone would dare hurt them. 

And suddenly Lance realized what Allura had seen: he might not be as brash and mad all the time as Keith was, but if anyone else on the team was as impulsive and simultaneously protective over the paladins as Keith, it was Lance. He was the most likely second choice for the Red lion out of anyone else in their group. 

That should have made him feel like a replacement, but the way that Red was looking at him, the way Allura had looked at him, had compared him to her father, made him feel just a little bit better about the whole situation. 

He took a hesitant step forward, eyes locked on the Red lion. His mouth had barely opened before the barrier dissolved. Throat dry, Lance pulled his helmet close to his chest and stared up at her. “Me?” he squeaked.

A purr emitted from Red, and Lance swallowed hard. “Are you sure?” he asked, voice even smaller than before. 

In answer, she bent down, maw opening and ramp descending from the inside. With trembling fingers, Lance pulled on his helmet and scurried into Red, his team’s voices echoing in his eardrums for him. 

The seat was cold under him, and though it felt different, though his hands clasped the handles a little more awkwardly, it felt almost as right as flying Blue. He exhaled, shut his eyes for a moment, and breathed. 

“Work with me, okay?” he murmured. 

Red purred again, a little more urgent this time, and the cockpit lit in a red fury that nearly blinded Lance when he opened his eyes. The controls felt more at ease than they had before, and with a sly smile, he urged Red from the hangar and out into space, just in time to hear the cry of, “We can’t do this alone!”

His grin grew, and he leaned into the controls, steely concentration focused on his endangered friends, and turned the comms on. “You won’t have to!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy my work, please consider [buying me a coffee.](http://ko-fi.com/pftones)


	22. Leadership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in Season 3, episode 3: The Hunted, during the period of time where Lance and Keith are stuck together on the gas planet looking for the others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been rewatching Voltron a lot lately and so I've been having some more ideas for this. Also, because it's harder to update From the Top due to a lack of transcripts, I figured I needed to update SOMETHING.

They were quiet for a bit, the only sound the crackling of their monitors, pulled up so that they could keep an eye on one another. The lights of their lions cut through the fog and bounced back on them, almost making them more of a hindrance than a help. 

Eventually, Lance felt the need to break the silence. "You know, you would be doing better as a leader if you just...listened to us sometimes." 

Keith huffed, his fingers tightening on Black's controls. "I don't really need this right now, Lance." 

"No, actually, I think you do." 

Keith swallowed and ducked his head and Lance's voice softened, prompting Keith to remember that Lance could, in fact, see him. "You're not a bad leader, Keith. I know I ragged on you for being terrible, and potentially getting us killed and stuff." 

"Yeah," Keith said, voice dry. "You did." 

Lance looked away from the screen. "I'm sorry about that," he murmured. "You're not a bad leader though. You care about getting the job done, but you also care about your team. I just...if you took our suggestions or worked with us instead of trying to force us onto something, it might be easier for all of us." 

Keith went silent for a long minute, eyes locked on the fog ahead of them. His communicator was still full of static, meaning that none of the others were nearby. "You're right. I just...I have a hard time with that." 

'With listening to other people? I've noticed." 

Keith pursed his lips and shut his eyes. "With not being in control of the situation." 

Lance remained quiet. "Sorry," he said after a heavy moment. "That was a mean comment." 

"You're partially right, though." 

"Wanna talk about it?" 

Keith cracked a smile and opened his eyes again, side eyeing Lance through the monitor. He wasn't watching him, was instead twisting Red carefully through the hanging rocks. His wrists twitched in slight movements, barely noticeable, and Keith missed that amount of control over his lion. "Gonna make fun of me?" 

Lance shot him a look through the cameras, seemingly surprised to find that Keith was looking at him. "Not unless you want me to." 

Keith chuckled and looked away again, fingers tapping on Black's controls. He slowed for a moment, perching on a massive stone boulder and waiting for Lance to drift to a halt next to him. He took his hands off the controls and rubbed the tension from his knuckles while he thought. "My dad left when I was young," he found himself saying, still watching the fog filter through Black's headlights. "Never knew my mom...guess she probably had a reason for leaving, though. If she was Galra. Got admitted to the Garrison during sophomore year of high-school, and then when Shiro went missing our senior year I just...moved into that shack. It was the only thing I could control myself." 

He fell silent, hands draping into his lap. He stared at them, tracing his gloved fingers a bit forlornly. 

"You couldn't control Shiro being gone," Lance said softly, and Keith knew he was working things out in his head. He hated how well they had all come to know each other. "And you couldn't control the Garrison and what they did. And you can't control your heritage." 

Keith clasped his hands together, blinking back the sudden stinging in his eyes. "Yeah," he croaked. 

Lance hummed. "You don't need to control us, Keith. We'll work with you. I'll work with you. We're not going to just up and abandon you and expect you to do this by yourself. We're all right here with you." 

"I know." 

"Come on, don't make me climb out of Red and come hug you." 

Keith huffed out a laugh and reached a hand up to swipe at his eyes before remembering that he had his helmet on. He settled for rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't you dare." 

When he peeked back up, Lance was watching him, a small smile on his face and a glint in his eyes. "You good, man?" 

"Yeah," he breathed, startled to find that he was telling the truth. "Yeah, I'm okay. What should we do?" 

"Well," Lance mused, gaze abandoning Keith in favor of eyeballing their surroundings, "we could always see what that is." 

He pointed and Keith jerked his head up in time to see two headlights appear in the distance. His smile grew and he and Lance lifted into the air and move towards it, pressing close together for protection just in case. 

Allura's crackly voice came through the mics, concern wavering with relief. "Keith! Lance! Are you all right?" 

"We are now," Lance said, his tone implying that he was being genuine and not flirting. "Are Pidge and Hunk with you?" 

"No," Allura admitted. Her face flickered to life on their panels as she got closer. Her eyebrows were pinched. "I was hoping perhaps that you had found them." 

"How did you find us?" Keith asked. 

"Blue's sonic scanner," she explained. "I created a map and just used the sonar to basically find your shapes." 

"Nice!" Lance declared. 

Allura tilted her head and looked at Keith. "Keith. What should we do? Lotor is still-" 

"We're getting Pidge and Hunk," Keith said in determination. "I'm not leaving them alone in here. Can you use the sonic scan to find them too?" 

"I should be able to." 

"Lead the way." 

She pulled Blue out in front of them and Lance gave him a glance through the monitor's, a gentle smile on his cheeks. "You got this, man." 

Keith swallowed and flushed, trying to hide the tiny grin that was curling up his face. "Thanks, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been struggling a bit recently, so if you enjoy my writing and could [Buy Me a Coffee](http://ko-fi.com/pftones), I would really appreciate it. Commissions are also open, if you'd like that as well.


	23. Shirogone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in Season 5, episode 3. 
> 
> "Maybe you made the Blue Paladin listen long enough to stir something in his mind." 
> 
> "Red," Shiro managed after a moment. 
> 
> "Pardon?" 
> 
> "He's...the red paladin. He's my right hand."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short one shot of a scene that I think we all wanted to see. 
> 
> Minor Season 5 spoilers ahead, you've been warned. This season has some fixing up to do.

"Lance! Lance, you have to listen to me!" Shiro pleaded. 

Lance shot him a confused look, neck straining as he struggled to hear him better. "What?" 

The vision went fuzzy and Lance vanished in a beam of light, leaving Shiro to fall backwards into the waiting arms of his cellmate, chest heaving and forehead beaded with sweat. "No," he whispered. 

"Shiro, you-" 

"NO!" 

Shiro whirled and slammed his Galra fist into the wall, body trembling and tears streaming down his face. "I was RIGHT THERE. So...close. And he doesn't...they don't _know,"_ he croaked out. 

His cell mate settled a gentle hand on his back, their eyes concerned. "You tried your best." 

"I don't get it," Shiro groaned. "Why is the Black Lion letting me in, but also letting in that...that imposter?" 

They shrugged, looking out the cell sadly. "I couldn't say. We must wait until another opportunity arises for you to send a message. The quintessence left in your arm is faint. But maybe you made the Blue Paladin listen long enough to stir something in his mind." 

"Red," Shiro managed after a moment. 

"Pardon?" 

"He's...the red paladin. He's my right hand." 

Something in his tone changed and Shiro squared his shoulders and locked his jaw, climbing to his feet and gazing out the cell at the dozens of aliens trapped with him. Overhead, a bell went off. "I believe in him. I know he can do this. We'll get out of here soon." 

They grunted, joining him at the door in time for roll call. "For both our sakes, I hope so."


	24. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The woman glanced down and away, ears drooping ever so slightly, and Keith swallowed around the stinging in his throat. "Right. Of course. Why am I not surprised? Left me, so obviously you don't-" 
> 
> His back slammed against the wall and Krolia pressed her arm firm to his chest, her eyes glittering and her teeth bared. "Don't you _dare,"_ she snapped, her voice breaking. "Don't you dare say I didn't want you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Season 5, episode 5. Obvious spoilers ahead.

"You're my...mother?" 

Keith stared at the woman in front of him for a long moment, pieces finally clicking into place in his mind. The hair, the eye color, the shape of her face. The way she fought, furious, but the way she spoke, cautious and gentle. Something in his gut coiled and he stumbled back, digging both hands into his hair and shaking his head. "No. No, no, no, no, you...you can't." 

Krolia hesitated, keeping her hands close to her body, for which Keith was grateful. "I...Keith, I'm sorry, I-" 

"Did you know?" 

She blinked, startled. "What?" 

Keith swallowed and looked out the window of the pod, heart hammering. "Did you know I was here? In space? With the Blade? With Voltron?" 

The woman glanced down and away, ears drooping ever so slightly, and Keith swallowed around the stinging in his throat. "Right. Of course. Why am I not surprised? Left me, so obviously you don't-" 

His back slammed against the wall and Krolia pressed her arm firm to his chest, her eyes glittering and her teeth bared. "Don't you _dare,"_ she snapped, her voice breaking. "Don't you dare say I didn't want you." 

Keith gulped, relaxing a bit and searching her face. His eyes burned. "Then why-?" 

"I couldn't." 

She released him and sank to the floor, wrapping her arms firm around herself. She looked nothing like the warrior Keith had just seen inside. "They would have killed both of us, and your father. Mixed species was not allowed. For good reason, sometimes, I admit. But your father...was like no Earthling I'd ever met." 

Keith sat down across from her, hesitant, slow, and leaned on his elbows. He kept his gaze down, using his bangs to hide his expression. Her expression. "How did you-?" 

"The Blade was searching a lead on one of the Voltron lions. We wanted to retrieve it before the Galra. Your father was in the desert studying the flora and fauna and, after some...misunderstandings, he was able to show us around the terrain easily. We got close and..." 

She glanced up at him and then away again, and Keith didn't miss the way her throat bobbed. "The Galra...would not permit a child in the ranks. And I could not blow my cover. I was...forced to leave you behind. Kolivan contacted me when he realized who you were, but I couldn't come for you because of my duties." 

"I've noticed you're not allowed to have feelings in this job," Keith grunted. 

Krolia gave a harsh chuckle. "That's an understatement." 

There was a long, mildly uncomfortable silence before Keith's communicator went off. He pulled it out, expecting Kolivan, and winced when he saw that it was an incoming from the paladins. "I uh...I should take this. It might be-" 

"Important, of course. Go ahead. You may want to um..." 

She reached a hand up to her own face and swiped at the cheeks and Keith lifted a hand, startled to find that he was crying. He wiped furiously at his face and then settled his lips into a gentle scowl before hitting the button. 

He blinked in confusion as Lance appeared on screen, turned away but shouting something at Pidge and Hunk who were...riding a Galra sentry? 

"What are you doing?" he asked before he could think not to. 

Lance spun back to face him, a grin on his cheeks. "Pidge and Hunk reprogrammed – whoa, dude, are you okay?" 

His face morphed into concern and Keith flinched, lowering the piece a bit. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, I'm...I just got off a hard mission, is all." 

Lance frowned, eyeing him carefully. "You look like you were crying," he noted, voice respectfully low. "Did something happen? Is Kolivan-?" 

"Kolivan is okay," Keith promised. His eyes flickered up to his mother and he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I just...met my mother." 

"You...wait, _what?"_

Keith managed a weak smile and flipped the tablet around so that Lance could see Krolia. Pidge and Hunk's shrieks of delight reached his ears and he couldn't stop the smile from becoming a bit more real. Krolia gave them an awkward wave and then Keith flipped the tablet around, now greeted with Hunk's and Pidge's faces as well. All three of them were grinning, though Keith could see the concern still lacing Lance's eyes. 

A jumble of questions flooded him and he chuckled, spirits already a bit lighter. "Guys, guys, I'll tell you about it later. Promise. Now what the quiznak are you doing? Did you need help?" 

"Oh, no, we just wanted to show you the cool robot we reprogrammed! We were about to play kickball with the extra sentry heads," Hunk informed him. 

"Where-?" 

"HEY! YOU PUNK KIDS! GET BACK HERE!" 

"TEAM PUNK OUT!" Pidge screeched. She flung herself onto the back of the sentry and they sprinted off. Lance laughed and followed behind, lifting the screen back up so they could still talk while he ran. 

"Sorry, we should probably run for our lives now. Hey. I'm happy for you, man. Talk to you later!" 

The screen went black and Keith realized he was full on grinning now. He smothered it down into a content smile and looked back up at Krolia, who was watching him thoughtfully. "What?" 

She met his eyes and tilted her head. "I just...I had worried that I had left you alone. It seems I was wrong." 

Keith looked back down at the communicator and gave a small chuckle. "I...never thought of it that way." 

"Could we try?' 

He glanced up. "Try what?" 

"I'm not asking to be your mother. I haven't earned that. For now...could we try being equals? Team members?" 

She stuck a hand out, looking hopeful, and Keith stood up before taking it, drawing Krolia to her feet. He kept their hands clasped for a second, flicking his gaze over her, and then squeezed her hand firmly before tugging her into a hug. Tears pricked at the edges of his eyes again at the embrace and he shivered, settling his chin down on her shoulder. 

"I'd really, really like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the timing technically isn't right, but I really needed Keith to talk to the others briefly, plus, it's a Fixer, not a perfect equal to the episode lol. 
> 
> Up next: Sam Holt finally fucking goes home jesus christ let the poor man rest


	25. Keys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man standing in front of her had a freshly trimmed beard, a bag over his shoulder, and foreign clothes on his back. The prepared smile on his face went slack when he saw her, the happiness in his eyes clouding with tears. 
> 
> It took Colleen a moment. A long moment. 
> 
> "Sorry I knocked," Sam croaked. "I lost my keys somewhere in space."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Season 5, episode 4, when Sam returns to Earth. Some mild season five spoilers, but not really.

When the first knock hit the door, Colleen didn't hear it. She had the radio turned up full blast while she did the laundry, some Spanish station that she couldn't recall the name of or pronounce properly. Lance's family had gotten her into it a while back. 

The knock came again, louder this time, and she huffed, putting down the shirt she was folding and straightening the edges before turning the radio down a few notches. "Coming!" she called out. 

Her bare feet padded along the floor – she found it odd to wear shoes inside after spending so much time with Hunk's parents – and she crossed the living room in only a few strides, fingers nimbly twisting the lock. "One second," she muttered thoughtlessly. "The door swings open if I don't lock it, so..." 

It was more of a twitch response than a necessary explanation, but she had repeated it so many times over the last few years that it had basically become her mantra. The door swung open under the guidance of her hand, and she finally lifted her head. 

The man standing in front of her had a freshly trimmed beard, a bag over his shoulder, and foreign clothes on his back. The prepared smile on his face went slack when he saw her, the happiness in his eyes clouding with tears. 

It took Colleen a moment. A long moment. 

"Sorry I knocked," Sam croaked. "I lost my keys somewhere in space." 

She stumbled back across the living room floor, hands flying to her mouth and breath instantly hitching. Her legs gave out from under her and Colleen let it happen, let herself collapse to the floor. Sam darted after her, his bag hitting the floor, and he skidded to a halt on his knees with his hands hovering in the air around her cheeks. "Colleen," he breathed. 

She swallowed and lifted a hand, letting her fingertips drag around the edges of his face, over his nose, the bristle on his chin. They danced over the glasses perched on his nose and raised to drift through his hair and back around, tracing the shape of his ears, fingering the long-forgotten piercing – a dare in college. 

"Sam," she choked. 

She flung herself into him, burying her head into his chest, and sobbed. His arms twined around her firmly and he dragged her backwards into his lap, clinging to her fiercely. His arms were stronger than she remembered, more toned, and there was a hitch to his breathing as she tightened her grip. 

For a minute, they sat on the floor of the entry way and cried against one another, arms and legs intertwined around shoulders and waists. Sam rocked gently, slowly, and eventually Colleen managed to pull back, swollen eyes staring at him. Her chest shuddered as she breathed. "How...? Where...? The reports said-" 

"I know," Sam whispered. It felt right, not to speak loudly. "I know what they said. They were wrong. I was...kidnapped. By the Galra. Aliens. Matt and I..." 

Colleen clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes shining, and Sam pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "He's okay, baby. He and Katie both." 

The relieved sob that spilled from the woman's lips nearly broke Sam's heart. "Where are they?" she whimpered. 

Sam swallowed and glanced away. "They stayed. In space." 

"They... _what?_ You had BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN, and you LET THEM-?" 

"Colleen," Sam said firmly, his hands tightening on her biceps. His eyes glinted. "There's a war. Matt is a lead communication's officer. Katie is..." He chuckled in disbelief. "Katie is piloting a giant green lion that turns into the most powerful weapon I've ever seen. They have one another. They're safe, as much as they can be. They want to do this. It was their decision to stay. Besides, they have millions of aliens behind them. Shiro, Hunk, and Lance, too." 

Colleen jolted, eyes flickering to the phone. "Hunk and...I need to call their families!" 

Sam dug into the pocket of his clothes – alien clothes, Colleen realized with a start – and pulled out what looked like a tape recorder. "We will," he promised. "They gave me messages for them." 

"Did Katie or Matt-?" 

He pressed another kiss to her cheek. "They both love you and miss you desperately," he murmured. "Katie is sorry she left without telling you." 

Colleen leaned into his grasp and heaved a sigh. "I have so many questions," she said after a moment. 

"I figured you would. I can answer them. But we do have to be ready." 

She lifted her gaze to his, eyes searching. Her fingers tightened in his shirt. "For what?" 

Sam's brows furrowed and he glanced out the still open door at the sunlight. "The war. It's going to come here, honey. And our kids are going to need backup."


	26. Older Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did you mean it?" 
> 
> Lance looked up, eyebrows furrowed. A tear had drifted across his skin, and Keith fought the urge to brush it away. "Mean what?" 
> 
> "You said I was grizzled." 
> 
> Lance instantly slammed his head into his hands and Keith let a grin slip across his face. "Quiznak. I'm not living that down, am I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOOOOO SEASON SIX WRECKED ME HAVE A KLANCE FIXER SPOILERS AHEAD BYE

It took nearly a week for them to reach Olkarion without the castle, without wormholes. The mood had been sullen, quiet, though a faint air of happiness at the return of Shiro still hovered through the lions. 

When they finally settled down in order to regroup, build their supplies, and prepare for the trip to Earth, they were greeted by Ryner, who immediately took Shiro, along with Hunk and Pidge, down to the infirmary to run diagnostics on his status. 

Coran led Allura away for some well-deserved rest, as she had been constantly using her magic to keep Shiro calm and out of pain. Krolia and Rommelle took it upon themselves to unload the lions, leaving Keith alone with Lance, who hadn't really spoken to him since their moment with Shiro. 

They stood watching the unloading process, Lance cringing a bit when one of the Olkari handled Kaltenecker a little too roughly, and Keith realized with a start that he was...he was actually _taller_ than Lance. Not by much, of course, only a centimeter or two, but it was enough that he noticed it. 

He swallowed and lifted his arms to grip at himself, fingers tightening on his elbows. When he had put on his armor for the first time (second time?) he had noticed how it had grown, how it had stretched to fit his new frame. 

Keith didn't think he had gotten that much different. But the way Lance had reacted, it was like he was a totally new person. 

"Keith?" 

He lifted his head, turning to look at Lance, who was watching him with a tilted head and a cocked eyebrow. "What?" 

"I asked if you wanted to get food." 

"I...sure." 

They turned together, heading for the mess hall, and after a moment of silence, Lance spoke up again. "You good, man?" 

Keith chuckled a little roughly. "I don't know," he found himself admitting. That was another thing he had noticed; after spending two years with his mother alone, he was faster to admit what was bothering him, less likely to pull back. "I'm just...confused, I guess." 

Lance's voice softened. "About Earth? Me too, man." 

"No. Not Earth. I have...everything I want, it's up here. My mom, the Blade, you guys." 

He bit down on his tongue quickly, cheeks warming, and glanced away to avoid Lance's sharp look. "Us, huh?" he asked, voice teasing just enough to let Keith know that he was flattered. 

"Yeah, well...two years alone, with no one but my mom and Yorak..." he shrugged, startled to find a lump in his throat. "What can I say?" he asked, flinching when his voice cracked. "I missed you guys." 

Lance had stopped walking and was studying him, eyes dark and thoughtful. Keith stared back, a wave of emotion swimming through his gut and throat, and he shook his head and laughed. "When did you get to be such a good leader?" 

Lance blinked several times, eyebrows shooting up. "What?" 

Keith tilted his head, gesturing vaguely with his hand. "When I was flying Black, to come help you guys. You were giving orders – good orders – left and right, no hesitation, and everyone listened to you. You made great calls out there. What happened?" 

Lance frowned a bit, cheeks red, and looked down, shrugging. "Dunno," he grumbled. "Just...needed a leader. I'm the right hand. I guess." 

"You guess?" 

"Not like anyone expects anything great from me, so when I do something good, it's like 'whoa, he's not incompetent!'" Lance said dryly. 

Keith took a step forward, eyes wide. "That's not-" 

"'Lover boy Lance' is all I am to anyone," Lance managed, shaking his head. "Even you. Even after two years for you, no matter how short it was for me." 

"That's not true," Keith snapped, gripping him by the arm and pulling him towards him. Lance froze, eyes flickering to the contact, and Keith let go slowly, taking a breath. "I...do you want to know what I told my mom about you?" 

"That I'm annoying?" 

"That," Keith admitted. His hand returned to Lance's arm when the paladin made to move. "I'm kidding," he breathed. "I told her how good you are in a fight. How steady your aim is. What a good friend you are, even...even to me, when I know you didn't want to be. How incredibly selfless you are, how you're willing to put yourself in harm's way for someone you care about." 

Keith took a breath and licked his lips, pulling back and rubbing his neck. "I had a lot of time to think, on the whale," he said, his voice timid. They paused as an Olkari passed by before continuing. "And I'm upset that we spent so much time fighting. We make an amazing team." 

"I missed you, Mullet." 

Keith looked up, eyes wide, and found Lance giving him a small smile, his eyes glassy. Lance took a shaky breath, wrapping his arms around himself. "I missed you a lot. Without you there, I didn't have anyone to bounce ideas on, anyone to back me up, anyone to make me feel like...like I had some kind of purpose." 

He took another deep breath, this one longer, and Keith felt himself moving closer. "You grew up, man," Lance murmured, ducking his head. 

"Only by two years," Keith protested. "Literally all that changed was my hair." 

"You're so wrong if you think that," Lance whispered. 

"Did you mean it?" 

Lance looked up, eyebrows furrowed. A tear had drifted across his skin, and Keith fought the urge to brush it away. "Mean what?" 

"You said I was grizzled." 

Lance instantly slammed his head into his hands and Keith let a grin slip across his face. "Quiznak. I'm not living that down, am I?" 

"Not a chance." 

The red paladin peeked up through his fingers, head tilting to the right ever so slightly. "In that case..." 

He pulled his hands away and moved one hand to Keith's face, slow, like he didn't want to startle him. Lance's thumb traced down the scar on Keith's cheek slowly, deliberately, fingers slipping to the jaw and gliding down the line of it to his chin. "I think the scar is hot as hell," Lance breathed into his ear before ducking away and moving in the direction they had been going. 

Keith nearly choked, spinning on his heel. "Lance!" he spluttered. 

"OLDER MEN ARE SEXY!" 

Keith squawked and bolted after him.


	27. Everyone Needs a Hug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Thank you," she choked out. 
> 
> "For what?" 
> 
> Her breath stuttered as she spoke. "Hugging me." 
> 
> "Is that all?" Lance chuckled. "Any time, Pidgeon, you just have to ask. You should know that by now." 
> 
> She nodded. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Lance centric, but everyone joins in at some point. I fucking needed this. 
> 
> Season six spoilers, obvi

They made camp on the crumbled piece of rock they had landed the lions on, each lion putting up their barriers until they were surrounded in a comfortably large bubble. Allura and Keith helped Shiro into Black, where they had stored the pod he was recovering in. Coran and Krolia took Rommel to go through supplies for the night, dragging a protesting Hunk with them to get his opinion on food rationing. 

Allura instructed Pidge and Lance to begin setting up camp, which they both took to with ease, Lance having grown up on a farm and Pidge being content with figuring out the mechanics of the Altean tents. 

Keith's wolf/fox/space dog, named Yorak for some reason, paced the camp quietly, snout twitching every now and then. He had taken to Lance and Pidge quickly, almost immediately, really, and Keith had been smiling when he had ordered the dog to guard them. 

The pair worked in silence, only speaking to offer up a tip or question. 

"How does this pole connect?" Pidge asked at one point. 

Lance glanced over to find her staring down at said pole in irritation, her fingers trembling as she tried to lock it onto a stabilizer. He set down his supplies he was gathering to create a fire pit and moved to her side, gently guiding her hand to the other end of the stabilizer, where the pole locked in easily. "You got it, just the wrong side." 

Pidge nodded, not looking up at him. "Thanks." 

"Course." 

They went back to what they were doing, Lance finally finishing his pit and waving for Red, who shot the smallest flame into the kindling and set it ablaze. Yorak boofed in excitement, tail wagging as he circled the fire a few times and then flopped to the ground next to it. Lance chuckled and then looked back at Pidge, who was now staking the tent to the ground, her mouth set into a thin line. 

Lance's shoulders slumped and he trudged over to her, picking up an extra mallet and hammering in the other side. "You okay?" he asked after a moment of hammering. 

Pidge looked up, eyes wide in the campfire light. "What?" 

"You've been off today. I mean...I know it's been a really long day, and there's a lot..." Lance swallowed and looked down. "We lost a lot. But..." 

Pidge huffed and looked away, focusing on tying an extra knot in the rope she was using. "I'm fine, Lance." 

"You don't have to lie to me." 

His voice was soft, gentle, and Pidge glanced up at him, studying his features for a moment. Her back tightened and she swallowed, tugging extra hard on the rope. "I know." 

They fell silent again, moving away from the finished tent and over to the flickering fire. Pidge settled first, her legs crossing pretzel style as she sat next to Yorak, who instantly lifted his head and tucked it in her lap. She tugged off her gloves and started scratching his head, peeking up at Lance when he didn't immediately sit down. He was watching her, his face contorted with confusion. "What?" Pidge demanded, something in her chest tightening at the look he was giving her. 

Lance paused, and then held out his arms. "Come here." 

"I just sat do-" 

"Come here." 

The words were firm, but held a gentleness to them. Yorak nudged at Pidge's hand with his muzzle and Pidge found herself standing back up slowly, legs wobbling as she walked over to Lance, stopping just in front of him. "What do you-?" 

He pulled her in slowly, giving her time to move back, his long arms folding around her shoulders and one hand sliding up to cup the back of her head. She found her cheek pressed to his chest plate, and her arms dragged up his back of their own volition until she was hugging back. 

For a moment, it was awkward. Pidge felt stiff, uncomfortable, a little freaked out. 

And then, slowly, she sank into his warmth, tightened her grip on his back, and she twisted her head so that it was pressed as close to his chest as physically possible. His armor was cold on her fingers, but his heartbeat was a constant in her ear, relaxing her. 

"I'm sorry for what you had to do today," Lance whispered. "With Shiro." 

Pidge shivered, tears prickling at her eyes. That had been the worst part of the day – knowing that her gut instinct nearly a year ago had been right, that she couldn't fully trust someone she considered family. Lance's grip on her got tighter at her first sniffle, and he bent his head until his nose was pressed into her hair. "I'm sorry," he murmured again. 

She realized in that moment how much she had wanted this – a hug. Just a simple, body encompassing hug, from anyone. Her skin itched and she let out a sob, clinging closer. Matt had been busy the last few weeks, not able to visit, and everything had been so crazy that she hadn't been able to have the bare minimum of human contact. 

It burned more than she thought it could have. 

"Thank you," she choked out. 

"For what?" 

Her breath stuttered as she spoke. "Hugging me." 

"Is that all?" Lance chuckled. "Any time, Pidgeon, you just have to ask. You should know that by now." 

She nodded. "I know." 

He hummed and then bent, swooping her off her feet with a yelp and then settling onto the ground, setting her into his lap sideways and curling his arms around her again in the blink of an eye. His chin rested comfortably on her head and Pidge sighed, wrapping her fingers around his arm and leaning into his form. 

Yorak woofed and trotted over to them, twining his large mass around Lance's whole body so that his head was resting next to Pidge's feet. Lance was rocking slightly, a song rumbling in the depths of his throat, and the fire was warm to her left. 

"Everything okay?" she heard Keith say. 

She peeked her eyes open in time to watch him settle on Yorak's other side. He was slightly taller, his arms more toned, and his scar caught in the light as he looked at them. He had changed so much, and yet not at all. Pidge hadn't realized how much she had missed him until they had been in the heat of battle, his voice flowing over them, his presence in the back of her mind through their lions, the way it should be. 

"Yeah," Lance said, his breath dusting Pidge's bangs. "Hugs were needed." 

"I get that," Keith said, his voice low. 

Something in his tone made Pidge sit up, and she reached a hand out, not speaking. Keith glanced at it, then up at her, and a small smile slid across his cheeks, making the scar less intimidating. He bent to whisper something to Yorak, who hopped to his paws and trotted off to the yellow lion, and then scooted closer and took Pidge's hand, threading their fingers together. 

Without hesitation, she tugged on his hand, and Keith obliged, leaning his head down until it rested on Lance's shoulder. Lance leaned back, head on top of Keith's, and Pidge's heart warmed. 

"I missed you guys," Keith whispered to the fire. His eyes were glassy when he looked back at Pidge. 

She squeezed his hand tightly, throat aching when she spoke. "We missed you too." 

"You guys having a cuddle party without me?" Hunk demanded, sliding into Pidge's peripheral vision with Yorak at his side, tail wagging. 

She laughed, a real laugh, and Hunk sat down next to Keith, letting their thighs touch. Keith reached out his other hand slowly, like he wasn't sure the offer was wanted, but Hunk took it with no qualms and copied Pidge's technique, their fingers interlocking. A large thumb ran across Keith's knuckles and Keith sighed in content. 

Pidge smiled and pressed closer to Lance, body fully warmed and content. 

Allura and Coran joined them at some point, quietly, Allura leaning against Coran, who was leaning against Hunk. The only sound was the crackling fire and the soft hush of Krolia and Rommelle talking somewhere over by Black. 

"Thank you," Pidge murmured up at Lance. "For the hug." 

"You already thanked me," Lance chuckled. His fingers danced in her hair, scratching up her scalp, and Pidge melted into the touch. 

"I know. But it's not enough." 

She fell asleep surrounded by family.


	28. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt sighed, his shoulders slumping. “That was nearly three years ago. I contacted him a few months in, warned him not to send signals to space, and then my group was forced back by Galra fleets. This is most of what remains of our forces, though other planets in the coalition are still willing to fight if necessary. The Balmerans, the Olkari, others. But without Voltron...” 
> 
> His voice cracked and Krolia jolted at the look in his eyes. No one had told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fixer for Season 7. Idk about anyone else, but I REALLY wanted a scene like this. 
> 
> Season 7 spoilers, obvi.

It took Kolivan and Krolia almost a week to find the last remaining stronghold for the Blades and the Rebels. It was a small asteroid belt off the Asludig System, nearly thirty lightyears away from Earth and the paladins. Or at least, where Krolia hoped the paladins were. 

They landed their tiny pod in an outcropping of rocks, alongside a small field of grains and sprouting greens that looked like they might be vegetables. Two Rebel’s approached them almost immediately, guns drawn, but the moment they saw who they were looking at, they lowered their weapons. 

“Kolivan,” the shorter one breathed, teal eyes glinting. “I have heard from many of the Blades about you and your leadership. How did you survive? We thought-” 

“No time,” Kolivan said, though his voice was gentle. “Who is in charge at this outpost?” 

The taller rebel straightened. They had rabbit like ears that twitched with every sound in the area, which must have been how they found them so quickly. ”Matthew Holt. His sister was a paladin of Voltron. We felt it only right that he lead us.” 

“His sister _is_ a paladin of Voltron,” Krolia corrected, lifting her chin. “Where is he?” 

They nodded, shifting their gun. “This way.” 

~~

When Krolia stepped inside the mess tent, the first thing she noticed was the sheer size of it. It was nearly the size of the lounge in the Castle of Lions, the middle lined with mostly empty tables and a couple of heating trays pushed to the side. 

“You caught us during our night rotation,” the shorter guard explained as the taller one moved to speak to Matt, sitting across the table from a young lieutenant. If Krolia wasn’t mistaken, they were holding hands. “There are no days and nights on this planet, so we make due by the hours.” 

“Noted,” Kolivan grunted. 

The Rebels left and Matt approached them wearily. He had heavy bags under his eyes, and his hair reached to his shoulder blades, tied back with a loose ribbon. His outfit was in tatters, but there was a steely look in his gaze, one that made him appear formidable. 

“Krolia,” he breathed, clasping her forearm with his hand, and then repeating the gesture with Kolivan. “Kolivan. I am glad to see you both made it. But how did you find us?” 

“It took much hunting,” Kolivan admitted. “We had to prove ourselves to Rebels and Blades alike. You did well with this post.” 

“How far are you on launching to Earth?” Krolia demanded. “We know that your father went there to begin preperations.” 

Matt sighed, his shoulders slumping. “That was nearly three years ago. I contacted him a few months in, warned him not to send signals to space, and then my group was forced back by Galra fleets. This is most of what remains of our forces, though other planets in the coalition are still willing to fight if necessary. The Balmerans, the Olkari, others. But without Voltron...” 

His voice cracked and Krolia jolted at the look in his eyes. No one had told him. “Matt.” 

Matt looked up at her, his gaze dim. “Ma’am?” 

She settled a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly, giving him a warm smile. “Voltron is alive. Your sister – Pidge – is alive. We left her less than two weeks ago.” 

Matt’s eyes filled with tears and he jerked back, hands covering his mouth and a hoarse sob rising from his throat. The woman from before, still sitting at the far table, rose, but Kolivan held out a hand and she hesitated. “That’s impossible,” he croaked. “We saw the explosion, we-” 

“I don’t know what happened either,” Krolia admitted. “But somehow, you all went through three years, and for us it was only a matter of weeks. Pidge is alive, Matt. And she’s safe.” 

Matt looked to Kolivan, who nodded, and sobbed once more, losing all composure and sinking to the ground. Krolia hesitated for only a moment before sinking next to him and wrapping an arm tightly around his shoulders. 

He had been without family for three years. She reasoned that he wouldn’t object to a motherly hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No hate in the tags, eh? I liked this season a lot. You would do well to respect everyone's opinions.


	29. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black rumbled in his head and Keith shut his eyes tightly. “Please, Red,” he whispered, and slowly the shouts of his team filtered out, one by one, and Keith realized he was speaking loudly enough for them to hear him. “Please, get to him and Veronica. Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not necessarily a fix-it so much as an "I really wanted this to be the case" fic
> 
> Set after Veronica and Lance crashed.

Lance’s comms cut out with him screaming, a deep, guttural shout that chilled Keith to the bone. 

The clamoring voices of his teammates rang in his ears, everyone shouting for the red paladin, crying out his name. Keith knew he was shouting too, his voice more desperate than he expected it to be, his pulse roaring in his head. 

“Lance!” he pleaded. “Lance come in!” 

His voice cracked and Keith shivered at the lack of response. Where was Red? Why wasn’t she there? Why wasn’t she _with_ him? 

Black rumbled in his head and Keith shut his eyes tightly. “Please, Red,” he whispered, and slowly the shouts of his team filtered out, one by one, and Keith realized he was speaking loudly enough for them to hear him. “Please, get to him and Veronica. Please.” 

His words were broken by the shakiness of his voice, but to his surprise, he felt Red’s spark of fire coil in his gut. 

And then the other paladins joined in. 

Not vocally, no. But Keith could feel them, feel all of them, calling out to Red, begging her to hurry. Lance’s force was there too, weakened, and that spurred Keith on more than he cared to admit. 

“You’ve saved my life so many times,” Keith murmured, his hands tightening on Black’s controls. “Please save his.” 

The coil of fire left his gut in an instant and Keith’s eyes shot open, darting to the nervous gazes of his friends in the other lions. 

And then, moments later: “Red lion, checking in.” 

Lance’s voice, _safe,_ and Keith sank back into Black in relief, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. 

“Thanks, Red.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positivity last chapter! Keep it up!


	30. Hospital Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Lance,” Pidge whispered, squirming at Matt’s grasp. 
> 
> Lance shot up in bed, eyes wide and hand reaching for his hip, only to come up with nothing but a handful of blanket. He blinked once, twice, and then focused his gaze on Pidge and Matt. His eyes softened. “Nightmare?” he asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hospital scene I know everyone wants

Pidge woke up screaming, clawing at her sheets with one hand and wrenching at her throat with the other. The memory of Ezor clinging to her neck was fresh in her mind, the darkness of the room only enhancing the vision. 

Hands gripped her shoulders, firm, and Matt’s voice was at her ear, whispering reassurances, his hair tickling her cheek, the smell of his shampoo relaxing her until she was clutching at his back and sobbing into the joint of his neck and his shoulder, her fingers tight. 

“You’re okay, honey,” he whispered, his tone soft. “You’re okay. It was just a nightmare. Can I get you anything?” 

Pidge whimpered, one name curling into her mind, her name screamed from his lips, and she choked. “Lance.” 

Matt hesitated. “Pidge, the doctors-” 

“Please, Matt,” she whispered, her voice cracking. 

There was a long pause, and then Matt gathered her up, careful of the bandages that encircled Pidge’s upper torso and arm. “All right,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “All right. What the Garrison doesn’t know won’t hurt them, I guess.” 

She sniffled but managed a chuckle and clung to her brother as he stepped into the hallway and looked both ways. The coast was clear, and Matt jogged carefully to Lance’s room next door, pressing his hip against the somewhat jarred door. 

In the corner, Veronica looked up from a book, lit by a small, portable light. Her eyebrows crinkled at the sight of the siblings and she set it down. “Is everything okay?” she asked, voice low. 

Matt shook his head and walked over to Lance’s bed, pausing. It was a full size, so it was technically big enough, but with their injuries... 

“Lance,” Pidge whispered, squirming at Matt’s grasp. 

Lance shot up in bed, eyes wide and hand reaching for his hip, only to come up with nothing but a handful of blanket. He blinked once, twice, and then focused his gaze on Pidge and Matt. His eyes softened. “Nightmare?” he asked. 

She nodded and Matt helped her into the bed, where Lance promptly lifted the covers and let her slide in against him, fingers curling in his hospital shirt. Lance tucked himself around her and glanced up at Matt, his eyes weary. “She’ll be okay.” 

Matt found himself nodding. “I know. Veronica, you want to get some coffee?” 

Veronica tilted her head in acknowledgement and joined Matt outside, only for them both to run into Hunk and Keith, leaning outside their rooms and whispering in hushed tones. They jolted when they saw the two, and Matt frowned. “What are you guys doing up? You both have concussions.” 

Keith rubbed the back of his neck and set his jaw. “We thought...we thought we heard Pidge scream. We’re just...hearing things, I guess.” 

Matt and Veronica glanced at one another, and then back at the other two. Veronica stepped aside and nodded to Lance’s room, a small smile starting to curl at the edge of her lips. “She did. Had a nightmare. She’s with Lance.” 

Keith gave them a weak smile and leaned heavily on Hunk, his limp prominent as they both started moving towards Lance’s room. Matt let them go inside and then looked to Veronica, eyebrows raised. She shrugged, and they continued their walk to the cafeteria. 

~~ 

Allura’s light was on when they came back, steaming coffee in their hands, and muffled voices came from inside. Veronica tapped on the door with a knuckle and Coran opened it a moment later. Romelle was asleep in a chair in the corner, and Allura was awake, sitting up in bed and looking at the intruders with wide eyes. 

“Just checking to see if everything was okay,” Veronica explained. 

Allura squirmed and lowered her head. “I...had a dream,” she admitted. “That we lost. I was just telling Coran that I...” 

“Need a hug?” Matt guessed, keeping his voice respectful. 

Allura looked sheepish. “Perhaps.” 

Matt stepped inside and held a hand out, gently guiding Allura from the bed and towards the door. Veronica stayed with Coran to explain and Matt helped Allura down the hall. She had sustained a hip injury, was as far as his knowledge on her well-being went. 

He pressed open Lance’s door and the whispers trailed off, the soft bedside lamp illuminating the four paladins. 

Hunk, with only a head injury, leaned against the backboard of the bed, Lance sitting against his chest and between his legs. Pidge was leaning against his and Hunk’s left sides, and Keith was stretched on his back on the end of the bed, his head draped in Lance’s crossed legs. Lance was petting his hair, and Hunk was rubbing Pidge’s shoulder. Her knees were tucked up and over Hunk’s leg, and there was a small spot left on the end of the bed, almost as if they were waiting. 

“You okay?” Hunk asked, his voice soft. 

Allura swallowed and shook her head, and Keith held a hand out. 

She bolted to the bed as quickly as she could, her hip slowing her down, but she sank onto the vacant end of the bed and swung around, settling her head comfortably against Keith’s chest. One of Keith’s hands moved as if it was on auto-pilot, mimicking Lance’s movements and dragging through Allura’s curls. 

Matt hesitated in the door for a moment, until Pidge looked over at him and gave a small smile. “We’ll be okay, Matt.” 

He nodded, confident. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the comments! There are some requests that were given that I definitely wanted to do anyway, but I'm trying to focus on one at a day for right now, so that I'm not over working myself (I have commissions I'm doing and work as well)
> 
> But continue to leave any requests you might have, and I'll get to them if I enjoy them or have an idea for them!


	31. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re...Lance’s niece, right?” 
> 
> The girl grinned, revealing a missing tooth, and bounced into the room, bobbing her head. “Yup!” she declared, sidling up to Keith’s bed like she had known him for years. She stuck out a hand, very formal. “My name’s Lindy!” 
> 
> Keith cracked a smile and took her hand, shaking it firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if this is really a fixer or just me indulging the need to witness Keith interacting with a child. But either way, here's this!
> 
> Light season 7 spoilers.

There was nothing on TV. Granted, Keith supposed after fighting off a war lord and a giant robot, he couldn’t really expect much to be on television save for the news, but he was BEYOND bored at this point. He had been ordered by Shiro and the doctors to stay in bed. His concussion was worse than the other paladins, and his ribs were pretty badly injured when they found him. 

Allura’s hips had been dislocated, Lance had a concussion and a fracture in his left leg, Hunk had a concussion – he was the least injured of the paladins due to Yellow’s incredible armor – and Pidge had a concussion and several sprained limbs. 

They were lucky, Keith knew that. They should have been dead. They almost were dead, if what he heard was right. 

But he was so bored. His mother and Kolivan had to leave during the daylight hours, in order to help with repairs and debriefings, and Shiro was essentially running the Garrison at this point, with the help of Sam and Iverson, of course. Coran had been by Allura’s side non-stop, and while Romelle and the space mice had visited a few times, Keith didn’t have much in common with them. They were sweet, but it was awkward when they were all alone together. 

Due to allergies, Kosmo wasn’t allowed in the hospital wing, and Keith missed him desperately. He wasn’t allowed to leave his room without an escort, and his ribs hurt so much that he wasn’t sure he wanted to. 

Keith was lonely. 

He sighed and turned off the TV, leaning his head back against the pillows and shutting his eyes, dragging his hands down his face. The hum of his monitors behind him were comforting but almost grating, and he would have given anything for anyone to come visit him. 

He’d even take Slav at this point. 

What he got instead was the pitter-pattering sound of feet and then the squeaking of his bedroom door. He lifted his hands and his eyebrows in time to see a little girl peep her head in, eyes widening when she saw that he had spotted her. “Um...hello?” he tried. 

She squeaked and covered her mouth with a bunch of paper she held clutched in her chubby fists. She couldn’t be more than five or six years old, and her hair color, her eyes, the familiarity of her face... 

“You’re...Lance’s niece, right?” 

The girl grinned, revealing a missing tooth, and bounced into the room, bobbing her head. “Yup!” she declared, sidling up to Keith’s bed like she had known him for years. She stuck out a hand, very formal. “My name’s Lindy!” 

Keith cracked a smile and took her hand, shaking it firmly. “Hi, Lindy. Did you get lost looking for Lance?” 

She shook her head, nose wrinkling. “Nah. Everyone there is booorrrrinnnnngggg. All they wanna do is talk about fighting and stuff. And Alonso won’t give me a turn with the helmet.” 

Keith wracked his brain. “Alonso is...your brother?” 

“Yeah! You wanna color?” 

Keith blinked, staring down at her hands. Sure enough, alongside the wads of paper she had a box of very tattered, very old looking crayons. Keith couldn’t help but wonder how long she had been holding onto them during the war, but he shook it off. “I’m...I’m not a very good artist,” he managed, accepting the red crayon that she offered him. 

Lindy grinned again, blinding, and before Keith could say anything she had clambered up in the bed alongside him, snuggling contently into his side. “That’s’okay!” she bubbled. “Me neither! But Papa says practice makes perfect!” 

Keith chuckled and twirled the crayon between his fingers, relaxing against the warmth of the small child. “I suppose he’s right. What should I draw?” 

Lindy tapped her chin with her purple crayon, her lower lip puffing out thoughtfully. “Hmmm...ooh! You can draw Voltron!” 

Keith coughed to hide a laugh. “Uh, that’s kinda hard.” 

“I’ll draw him too, don’t worry! Here’s a green and a blue and a yellow annndddd a black! Now we have all the colors. I’ll race ya!” 

She really was related to Lance, Keith mused in amusement as he reached for the black crayon and started drawing Voltron’s head. The pigtails, the giggles, the faint freckles on her cheeks, her laugh, her personality – must have been a family thing. 

He moved on to the red lion, wincing as the shape turned into a sort of oblong noodle, and then green, down to blue and yellow. Lindy finished well before him, signing her paper with a flourish of the pink crayon, and then eagerly bounced on the bed as he finished up Yellow’s head. 

“That’s good!” she declared, shoving the pink crayon into his hand. “Now you gotta sign it!” 

Keith did as she asked, a smile flickering on his lips, and when he was done he was surprised to get a blank piece of paper shoved in his face. “Another!” Lindy squealed. “This onnnneee....can be whatever you want it to be!” 

Keith hesitated, watching as Lindy bent low over her page - “No peeking!” - and started coloring furiously. He turned back to his own page and reached out, picking up the black, blue, and purple. 

His fingers moved for him, brain struggling to make shapes out of the lines he was putting on the page. This probably wasn’t great for his concussion, but honestly Keith couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this at peace. Olkarion, maybe. 

The lines turned into fur, which turned into eyes and a tail and ears, and then a very cartoonish but recognizable version of Kosmo was staring up at him, and Keith felt a small swell of pride in his chest. He had drawn a lot during his year in the desert, but there was a severe lack of art supplies – and free time – in space, so he had fallen from practice. 

“That’s your dog!” Lindy cried in delight, and Keith jumped, almost having forgotten she was there. 

Keith chuckled and took the offered pink crayon, signing his name at the bottom, a little neater this time. “Yeah, it is. I miss him.” 

“Where’d he go?” 

“He can’t come in because some people are allergic to him in this wing. That’s okay though. Coran and my mom are taking care of him.” 

“The orange bushy one?” Lindy asked. 

Keith stifled a laugh. “That’s the one. What did you draw?” 

Lindy blushed and held out the drawing. “It’s for you.” 

Keith stammered a bit but took the offered paper. He stared for a moment, not quite comprehending, and then tilted his head, face softening. “Is this...us?” 

Lindy beamed. “Yeah!” 

On the page, from left to right, was a big yellow circle with a smiley face on it’s head and an orange line across it’s head. He was holding hands with a much smaller circle, bright green, with two black circles on the face. 

She in turn held hands with a red square that had a dark splotch of black on top of its head and a triangle on its face, holding hands with a blue square that was slightly more detailed than the rest of the figures, the legs long and gangly and the hair a brown mop. The blue square held hands with a pink triangle that had a blue dot in the center of it’s forehead, the skin colored in with a dark brown crayon. Four tiny circles sat on top of and around it, and it was holding hands with a tall black square with a scribble of gray on the top of the head. 

In the back, Keith could see an orange figure and a purple figure waving, and he recognized the mustache and the markings on the faces. 

“This is...great, Lindy,” Keith murmured, something coiling in his chest. He handed her his Kosmo drawing silently, and she took it like it was a priceless artifact, setting it on his bedside table gingerly before turning back to him. 

She beamed, her dimples showing, and Keith broke character for just a moment to wrap an arm around her shoulders and squeeze. “Thank you for keeping me company,” he said, soft. “I was pretty lonely before you came.” 

Lindy clicked her tongue. “Lance says whenever people are lonely you gotta hug them. But he also says you gotta ask first, cause they might not like that. Can I give you a hug?” 

Keith smiled, cheeks warm. “Lance is pretty smart,” he admitted. “Yes, I would love a hug. But careful, okay, my ribs are still hurt.” 

Lindy nodded very seriously and crawled up onto his lap, leaning gently across his torso and wrapping her chubby arms tightly around his neck. Keith lifted a hand to her back and rubbed it, feeling a bit awkward for a moment before he settled into the hug. 

Lindy was remarkably gentle, shifting when Keith hissed or winced in discomfort, until eventually she was snuggled up on his other side, doodling hearts and stars aimlessly on her last piece of paper, sprawled across his lap. “Is space pretty?” she asked, her jaw breaking in a yawn. 

Movement at his door made Keith look up, only to find Lance hovering there on crutches, a genuine grin on his face and surprise in his eyes as he took in the sight of the two of them. Keith offered a sheepish smile and Lance rolled a hand, telling him to continue. 

“Space,” Keith said, lowering his voice a bit and rubbing a hand up and down Lindy’s arm as he locked gazes with Lance. “Space is the prettiest thing there is, I think. The stars glitter for light years, and the planets are wild and colorful and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. There are mermaids and giant bugs and aliens that can talk to trees. They’re all cool, in their own ways.” 

Lindy hummed, her drawing slowing, and Keith let his thumb circle her shoulder. “I think the nicest thing about space though is that I made some very, very good friends.” 

Lindy yawned. “Can we be friends, Keith?” 

“I’d love that.”


	32. It Was an Honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clanging got louder and Hunk shuddered, leaning his head back and biting down the nausea that rose in his throat. All of this, and he was going to die because he couldn’t move. What a way to go. 
> 
> The door to Yellow burst open, sunlight filtering across his closed lids, and he flinched as footsteps pounded towards him. Instead of the cold barrel of a gun, however, his helmet was tugged off and warm hands cupped his cheeks, thumbs stroking his skin. He managed to peel open an eye enough to see his mother crouching there, her face streaked with tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for a fixer where they found the lions; I scaled it down a bit to just Hunk's perspective, because I headcanon that he was the first one to wake up. They make it explicitly clear in canon that Yellow has the most armor, so I think that he probably was the least injured in the fall to Earth. 
> 
> Season seven spoilers.

Hunk woke up first. 

Really, it made sense. Yellow had the most armor of all the lions, and he was protected most from the explosion that sent them falling from space. 

He kept his eyes shut for a moment, assessing himself. Legs? Check. Arms? Check. Functionality of his limbs? Ch- nope, right wrist, probably broken. Left knee twisted, hopefully nothing worse. But the stabbing pain that he felt in each of those places at least meant that he would be able to use them again. 

Then again, he wasn’t a doctor. 

His head felt like it was being cleaved in two with a hammer, and when he opened his eyes he had to instantly shut them again as the world tilted. 

Concussion, then, and a bad one. 

Yellow was dormant in his mind, though he could still feel him in the far reaches, resting. 

“Rest, buddy,” he whispered, and his voice was hoarse. “You deserve it.” 

Mere minutes later, clanging came from outside the lion, clanging that Hunk couldn’t see because all his systems were down, the screen off. The cockpit was dark. He tried for his bayard, but he was right handed. The bayard wouldn’t come. Too weak. 

The clanging got louder and Hunk shuddered, leaning his head back and biting down the nausea that rose in his throat. All of this, and he was going to die because he couldn’t move. What a way to go. 

The door to Yellow burst open, sunlight filtering across his closed lids, and he flinched as footsteps pounded towards him. Instead of the cold barrel of a gun, however, his helmet was tugged off and warm hands cupped his cheeks, thumbs stroking his skin. He managed to peel open an eye enough to see his mother crouching there, her face streaked with tears. 

“Mom,” he choked. 

Movement to his left, and then his father was there, and next to him, Shiro. 

The moment Shiro’s eyes locked with his, the man slumped in relief, and wiped a hand briefly across his face. “Hunk,” he breathed. “I’m glad you’re okay, buddy.” 

The tone of his voice scared Hunk, and he struggled to get up. His father put a firm hand on Hunk’s shoulder, forcing him to remain in his seat, so Hunk resigned himself to speaking instead of moving. “What - the others?” 

Shiro flinched and looked away, and it was like a wave of hornets swept over Hunk’s stomach. “No,” he whimpered. “They-” 

“We don’t know,” Shiro managed, looking back at Hunk. “We don’t know. We found Green, but she’s stuck in the woods, difficult to get to. Coran is there now. And Blue...Blue is somewhere in the ocean, so Iverson is sending a team down in scuba gear. Red and Black are somewhere in the desert, and Veronica and the other cadets are heading that way. But you’re...” 

He trailed off, readjusted himself, and took a breath. “You’re the only one who’s spoken so far. We heard...we heard you over the monitors, when you were talking to Yellow. I got here as fast as I could, your parents were already outside.” 

Hunk shivered and lifted his good hand up to squeeze his father’s fingers. “So L-Lance, and P-Pidge, and...they’re...?” 

Shiro gave a weak smile, and Hunk realized then just how red his eyes were. “We don’t-” 

“I’ve got Pidge,” Coran’s voice said over the monitors. “She’s unconscious, but she’s alive.” 

“Same on Lance and Keith.” Veronica, her voice breathless, relieved. “They were only a couple miles out from the Garrison, within a hundred yards of each other. Some broken bones, probably concussions, but nothing unfixable.” 

“Same with Pidge.” 

The anxiety that had swept through Hunk eased dramatically and he slumped. “Allura?” he asked. 

They all waited, baited breaths, and then Iverson’s voice crackled in, and honestly, Hunk had never been so happy to hear the man before in his life. “We’ve got the blue lion, bringing her ashore. One of the divers went in, and Allura seems to be all right. We’ll confirm fully once we’re back on shore.” 

Hunk sobbed and Shiro knelt next to him, squeezing his shoulder tightly. “You guys did it,” he breathed, and Hunk had to force out a laugh. 

“You formed your own Voltron, man. I don’t know that we could have done it without you.” 

Shiro chuckled, his eyes twinkling, and he eased his arm behind Hunk’s shoulders. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.” 

“God, I would kill for a healing pod,” Hunk groaned as his father took his other side and his mother raced ahead to clear the way. 

Shiro outright laughed at that, his hand soothing on his friends back. “Wouldn’t we all?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We never get Hunk and Shiro interactions, so this was a fun one to write. I know most people think that Shiro would be racing for Keith, but honestly, if Hunk WAS the first to wake up, you know Shiro would want to be there for him. For any of them. 
> 
> Next up: probably Coran and Lance interaction, ngl


	33. Feel the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cool air gusted inside, billowing the curtains, and when Coran turned back, Lance’s eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, his face etched with pure bliss. 
> 
> “Lance?” 
> 
> “It’s rain,” he breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet! Coran and Lance bonding! They're finally on Earth, so rain!

Lance was halfway through the second _Trials of Apollo_ book when Coran peeked into his room, a grin ruffling his mustache and a basket of goodies in his arms. Lance chuckled and set the book down on his lap, tenting it across his knees and beckoning the man in. He hadn’t seen him since before the final battle, and he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed him until he was bounding up to Lance. 

Coran set the basket down on the side table and then promptly swooped in to hug the young man, rubbing his back warmly and huffing a sigh. “I’m glad you’re all right,” the man mumbled into his ear. 

Lance squeezed back, tucking his nose into Coran’s collar. “I’m glad you are too.” 

Coran pulled back, squeezing Lance’s shoulders. “Have you seen the others?” 

Lance nodded. “Yeah. Hunk and Keith were here earlier today playing cards with me. Pidge was here this morning. They had to go, though. Haven’t seen Allura since yesterday.” 

“Ah,” Coran said with a nod. He twisted his mustache. “Yes, Shiro has been showing her about the compound.” 

Lance lifted an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips even as faint jealousy coiled in his gut. “Is he now?” 

“Oh yes, it’s a fascinating place. A bit old fashioned, but certainly different than Altea. What were you reading?” 

Lance started at the sudden change in topic, looking down at the book. “Uh...this book series about a Greek god who gets turned human. I read the first one before we got thrown into space, and like three more have come out since then, so Veronica found them for me in the library and brought them to read.” 

“Ah, so you earthlings do have gods!” Coran declared. 

Lance bit back a grin. “Kind of. The Greek ones are really old. Most people don’t believe in them anymore. Some people believe in different gods than other people...it’s a whole bunch of stuff that doesn’t really make much sense unless you’ve really studied it. So these books are fiction, just for fun. But based on history.” 

“Ah. Intriguing,” Coran said. He leaned against the window, accidentally tugging on the curtains, and Lance wrinkled his nose. 

“You can open the curtains. I should probably get some actual light in here anyway,” he chuckled. ”My mom would say I’m becoming a hermit.” 

“What on Earth is a hermit?” Coran asked, his brows furrowing as he turned to the curtains. 

Lance clicked his tongue. “You know...I really couldn’t tell you.” 

“Well, the sky appears pretty dark. And there’s...spots on the windows. So it looks as if you won’t be getting any light anyhow,” Coran said, tugging open the blinds a bit more for Lance to see. 

Lance’s breath hitched and he sat up straight, eyes widening. “Coran...is there any way you can open the window? Like the actual glass part?” 

Coran frowned, shooting the boy a concerned look, but nodded, fidgeting at the locks for a moment before sliding a pane to the right, dragging the screen with it. Cool air gusted inside, billowing the curtains, and when Coran turned back, Lance’s eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, his face etched with pure bliss. 

“Lance?” 

“It’s rain,” he breathed. 

“Rain?” 

Lance nodded and Coran looked back out the window, remembering back to the conversation they had so long ago about their planets. Slowly, deliberately, Coran lifted his arm and let it drift out the window, his sleeve pulling up at the base of the glove. 

When the first drop of water hit his bare skin, he flinched, uncertain, but it felt like almost nothing. It trickled down his skin, and as he watched, the water fell harder. It soaked through his glove, dampened his palm, and something about the feeling, the smell, the sensation, took Coran’s breath away. 

“How does it work?” he asked, the question he always posed when he was fascinated. 

Lance had, at some point, hobbled to stand next to him, and now he thrust his own hands out the window, teetering next to the Altean. Coran brought his other hand up instinctively, settling it gently between Lance’s shoulders, and he watched silently as Lance shut his eyes and let the rain pelt his skin. 

“There’s scientific stuff behind it,” Lance said after a moment. His voice was soft, full of emotion that Coran couldn’t place. “The water cycle, condensation, evaporation, all that stuff.” 

Coran moved his arm to wrap around Lance’s shoulders when he saw the tear slip from the corner of his eye. “Sometimes I like to just think it’s magic, though,” he whispered, leaning into Coran’s touch. 

His arms were soaked, and Coran’s glove was now plastered to his skin, but the look of happiness on Lance’s face kept him rooted to the spot. “Magic isn’t far off from science,” Coran noted, rubbing Lance’s shoulder with his thumb. 

Lance chuckled, glancing sideways at the man. “So I’ve noticed.” 

They stood until Lance’s mother came back and forced them away from the window on the basis of catching a cold. 

As prehistoric as Earth felt sometimes, Coran had to admit that he was impressed with the planet as a whole. Then again, he supposed, a planet that could produce such incredible people as the paladins had to have a little magic in it.


	34. Spreading Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith’s breaths came faster now and he stood, pacing the room and rubbing his hands up and down his pants. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Cool. Red lion. Fire. Fire. Red...” 
> 
> Firm hands grasped his bicep and Keith lashed out, shoving at them until he realized it was Coran standing there, his face firm but his eyes worried. Pitying. 
> 
> Keith hated pity. (Season One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a post on tumblr tonight by @zuspacey about what Keith was thinking of when he first learned that he would be piloting the guardian of fire (given how his father died) and this missing scene has been in the back of my head for literal months. 
> 
> So, throwback to season one, episode one, when Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance were off finding their lions, and Keith was alone in the castle with Coran and Allura.

Keith watched in silence as the wormholes swallowed up the rest of his group – his team, he supposed, though how any of them would make a good team aside from Shiro he had yet to figure out. From what he had seen, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were close with each other, which was great. For them. But it meant that breaking down those barriers and getting to know each other was going to be harder now for him. 

What else was new, though? 

“Ah...Keith?” 

Oh yeah. The whole “aliens were real” thing. And the fact that he was standing in a ten-thousand-year-old castle with a weirdly British princess and a man with a remarkably good New Zealand accent. That was pretty new. 

Keith turned to find Allura standing there, her hands clasped together in front of her and a tentative smile on her face. “Yes?” 

She turned, gesturing elegantly – _even her gestures were elegant what the fuck_ – to the center console. “I figured since we have some free time, I could explain to you a bit about the red lion.” 

Keith nodded. He supposed that would be fine; she would be talking at him, and he wouldn’t have to awkwardly engage like usual. He followed her to the center and sat gingerly on the edge, keeping his feet flat on the ground and resting his forearms on his knees. 

Allura sat as if she were riding side saddle, spreading her hands over her skirt for a moment while she thought. “Well, uh...do you have questions at all? I’m sure you must all be confused.” 

Keith snorted, clenching his hands together. “That’s an understatement,” he muttered. He paused, pressing his lips into a line, and tilted his head. Being rude wouldn’t win him any points, and he was genuinely curious about a few things. “So, the lions...they’re sentient?” 

Allura cocked her head. “Sentient?” 

Coran held up a finger behind her, stepping down off the platform and standing at Allura’s shoulder. “I believe he means knowledgeable.” 

Keith shrugged, wrinkling his nose. “Kind of? I mean like...they can think and feel?” 

“Oh!” Allura said, nodding. “Yes, absolutely. Though they don’t speak directly to you, or to anyone, really. It’s more of an inner, emotional bond.” 

“Yeah, Lance said that Blue was feeding...pictures into his head?” Keith said, his voice rising in pitch. He had thought Lance was kind of an idiot for suggesting such a thing. 

“That is probably the best way to describe it, yes,” Allura decided. 

So Lance wasn’t an idiot, then. Or at least, less of one than Keith had initially thought. He sighed, shifting so that he was leaning on his hands and looking at the two aliens. Actually, wouldn’t that make him also an alien? To them at least? 

Space was weird. 

“And...the lions, do they have like...magic powers?” 

He asked it sheepishly. Keith had always loved the idea of magic, of the supernatural and mythical, but he had been made fun of for it before. But, given that the Altean’s had been alive for thousands of years and had already done some pretty magic like things, he figured they would be least likely to judge him. 

Allura clasped her hands together, eyes brightening. “Oh yes! Absolutely! Of course, the powers only unlock once you have gotten closer with your lion, but in time, they will absolutely have powers.” 

Keith found her smile infectious. “Like what?” 

“Well, each of the lions is the guardian of something,” Allura explained, pulling up a small holo-map. On it, the black lion appeared. “The black lion is the guardian of spirit and energy. It’s powers are a bit difficult to explain, but it has more capabilities than the rest of the lions. Or rather, I suppose it enhances the abilities of the others. Much like a good leader should do.” 

Keith nodded. That made sense, especially for Shiro. The blue lion appeared on screen. 

“The blue lion is the guardian of water, so it has ice powers and moves – pardon the quip – much more fluidly underwater than the other lions. Yellow is the guardian of earth and rock, and has immense strength. Green, the guardian of the forest...well, come to think of it, I’ve never seen the extent of the green lion. Coran?” 

Coran started rambling off a long, complicated answer, but Keith had tuned him out, rising panic starting to settle in his chest. 

He had seen Avatar as a kid. He knew what the elements were. Sure, she hadn’t mentioned air, but he had a feeling that kind of fell into Shiro’s territory of spirit and energy. And on Earth, in everything he could ever remember seeing or reading, red, in terms of the elements, only ever represented one thing. 

“And Red, of course, is the guardian of fire. So she is very adept with heat, and is quick, like a flame.” 

Keith’s throat was thick and he nodded quickly, vision blurring. “Right. C-Cool. Um...could there be some mistake? Maybe...maybe Lance deserves Red? Or Pidge?” 

Allura frowned, eyeing him. “Keith, I know I haven’t known you long, but you have the perfect spark - gah, another quip, pardon – to fly the red lion. She will only respond to you in this time, I can feel it.” 

Great. Fantastic. Just...great. 

Keith’s breaths came faster now and he stood, pacing the room and rubbing his hands up and down his pants. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Cool. Red lion. Fire. Fire. Red...” 

Firm hands grasped his bicep and Keith lashed out, shoving at them until he realized it was Coran standing there, his face firm but his eyes worried. Pitying. 

Keith hated pity. 

“Keith, what on earth is the matter?” Allura asked. She looked a bit hurt, and Keith felt a pang of guilt for having caused that. 

He shook his head, wrenching away from Coran. “I can’t. I c-can't have...Red. Anything but fire, Allura, _please.”_

She hesitated, looking to Coran helplessly, and then she wrapped her arms around herself. “What is...fire? For Earthlings, I mean? For Altean’s, it is warmth, and life. It brings peace, at times.” 

Keith shook his head and leaned against the wall behind him, hands tucked tight into the crooks of his elbows. “It’s...it’s that for humans, too,” he finally managed. ”Keeps us warm at night and in the winter, cooks our food. But it...fire hurts.” 

“How can it possibly hurt?” Coran asked in confusion. “Alteans just...pick up fire. Of course, in large quantities it can be devastating, but it is... _was_ difficult for it to get out of control in the atmosphere of Altea.” 

Keith snorted, dry and humorless. “Doesn’t work that way on Earth. If we touch fire, we get burned. Badly. And if it gets out of control...it can burn down whole forests. Ruin homes. I’ve seen fire cross water. It can...it can kill people.” He swallowed. Of all people, she would understand. “It killed my father.” 

His breath shook and Allura’s face softened. “Oh. Oh, Keith, I am...truly sorry. I did not know, I...” 

He shook his head, swallowing. “Please don’t...I don’t need the pity, Allura. Or that sad look. It hurts more than the actual death itself, sometimes.” 

Allura nodded and moved over to him, carefully setting a hand on his arm. “Yes, well...you are strong, Keith. I saw that in you the moment we met. As upsetting as it may be, the red lion will choose you. Perhaps it is a way to overcome the feelings you may have towards your past. Maybe a way to step into the future?” 

Keith managed a chuckle. “That’s a little corny.” 

Allura tilted her head. “Corny?” 

Keith laughed, wiping at his eyes, and he shook his head. “I’ll explain later. Thanks, Allura. You’re...you’re probably right. So...how do we find the red lion? How do I bond with her?” 

She gave him a warm smile. “Let’s send out a scan, shall we?”


End file.
